Daddy's Girl
by Wolfy
Summary: [Complete] Seifer's daughter Akira, the result of a one night stand, knows nothing of his past. When she shows an interest in becoming a legendary SeeD, he can no longer avoid going back to Garden where he is hated and unwelcome.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FF8 characters. I only own Akira and Terra.

Prologue   
  
Seifer sat in front of his television set, mindlessly flipping through the channels. It   
was nearly two in the morning and he was beginning to get sleepy. The reason he was fighting falling asleep though was because he couldn't get someone off his mind. A girl to be more precise. He'd met her at least four months ago in Timber, the same place he'd met Rinoa even before that, and they'd spent a night together at a hotel. Why exactly Seifer couldn't really be sure, but since being run out of Garden, he didn't seem to have many morals lately. He knew of one-night stands and all, but he couldn't help but worry about why he'd never heard from her again. He sensed something was wrong, but wasn't sure what. The only thing he knew was her name: Terra, and that she had light cinnamon hair and beautiful blue eyes. He wasn't even sure if she lived in Timber. He'd gone looking for her once, but never found her. It was like she had just... vanished.   
  
The phone rang and caused him to jump in surprise. He was yanked back to reality as he   
picked up the phone and said "Hello."  
  
"It's you, isn't it?!" came a shrieking female voice. He recognized it immediatly.  
  
"Terra??" he exclaimed. "Why are you calling me?"  
  
She scoffed. "I bet you'd like to know, wouldn't you?! Well maybe you can stop by and   
visit, or will I have had my baby by then?!"  
  
Seifer's heartrate increased and it felt as though a drum were being beat on inside his   
ribcage. "Baby?? What the hell are you talkin' about?!"  
  
"I'm pregnant Seifer!! And it's all because of you!!" Seifer slowly backed up and fell   
into the chair heavily. What was going on? Terra couldn't be pregnant. They had only been together once.  
  
"What are we gonna do?" Seifer asked quietly. His usual cocky attitude had completely   
left him for the moment.  
  
"We??" Terra laughed despite her anger. "_You_ are going to take care of this baby,   
not me!"  
  
"Me?! Hey, I'm not the only one involved in this! You were there too in case you don't   
remember!" Now Seifer was getting angry as well. He wasn't sure if he actually was mad, but it was an easier emotion for him to convey than anything else.  
  
"Seifer..." Terra began. She was hesitant, but finally continued. "I can't take care of  
another baby right now," she told him gently.   
  
Seifer blinked. "Another?" He shook his head. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I already have two kids," she said with a sigh. She sounded embarassed now. "They both  
have different fathers, and neither of them want the responsibility of taking care of a child."  
  
Seifer didn't respond immediatly. Terra had two kids already, each with a different guy?  
The one she was pregnant with now would be the third. How could he have gotten involved with someone like that? Not that anyone he knew would be surprised by it... "I can't do it alone either," he told her firmly.  
  
"Well you are. That's all there is to it." And she hung up on him.  
  
Six Months Later  
  
Seifer had started to forget about Terra. She would've already had the baby by now, and   
she still hadn't called or visited him. Maybe she forgot as well? Ha, not likely Almasy, Seifer told himself. The sudden blaring of his doorbell caused his heart to flutter in his chest. Somehow he knew it was her. He held the cool doorknob in his fist for a while until he finally built up enough courage to open the door.  
  
In front of him stood the beautiful girl he'd met a great number of months ago. She had   
gained quite a bit of weight, but she was still the same Terra he'd remembered. In her arms, sheheld a small infant, merely two weeks old. She only nodded and he stepped aside to let her in. She sat on the couch and he sat next to her. "Her name is Akira," Terra told him. He nodded. He wouldn't say anything, but he liked the name. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"  
  
Seifer was surprised to hear Terra not angry. He thought she would still be ornery with   
him. "Yeah..."   
  
"Seifer I'm really very sorry, but... you know how it is," Terra told him with sympathy   
in her blue eyes.  
  
Seifer narrowed his emerald orbs at her. "No, I don't." He stood up and paced in front   
of her. "Why didn't you say anything? About your other children."  
  
Terra sighed. "I don't know... I just liked you so much that I... I guess it just   
slipped my mind."  
  
Seifer furrowed his brow. "It slipped your mind?" he echoed. He reached down and   
plucked the infant from Terra's arms. "Then maybe it _is _best if I keep her here with me.   
She's obviously not important enough for you to care about her, as well as your other two."  
  
Terra looked shocked. "That isn't true!"  
  
Seifer just shook his head and opened the door. "I want you out of here," he said firmly.   
"And don't come back."  
  
"But Seifer..."  
  
"Go!" Terra said nothing else as she gave Akira a final kiss goodbye and exited Seifer's  
house for the last time.  
  
Seifer sighed and sat down, cradling Akira in his arms gently. "Everything's so screwed   
up..." He looked down at the infant's face and an uncontrollable smile crept across his lips. "Well, this certainly will be an experience neither of us will ever forget... But I promise to do my best to raise you... Akira Almasy."


	2. Butterfly Kisses

Disclaimer: I only own Terra and Akira, nothing else is mine.

Chapter One: Butterfly Kisses  
  
"Daddy..." Akira's whispering voice cut into Seifer's deep, dreamless sleep. She rolled her eyes. "Daddy... Daddy, get up! You promised!" She nudged her father in the ribs hard and he finally blinked and looked up at her.  
  
"Morning," he told her, still half asleep.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, morning Daddy. Now come on!" Akira said jumping up and down on the bed impatiently.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Seifer asked as he still tried to rid the sleep from his emerald eyes.  
  
"You said I could try out your Gunblade today!" she exclaimed as she smacked him softly on the arm. He only laughed and pulled her closer to him as he began to fall back to sleep. "Daddy!"  
  
"It's too early," he mumbled. "What time is it, anyway?"  
  
Akira sighed heavily and stretched her neck to look at the clock over her father's lazy form. "It's only five-thirty."  
  
Seifer's eyes jolted open again. "Five-thirty?! Little girls like you should still be sleeping at this hour."  
  
Akira giggled as Seifer mercilessly tickled her sides. "No I don't," she told him between giggles. "I take after you remember?" Seifer stopped what he had been doing and his smile slowly faded. "What's wrong Daddy?" She snuggled closer to him, who still smelled of the cologne he had put on the night before.  
  
"Nothing," he told her as his bright smile returned. "Why don't we head downstairs and I'll make you some breakfast?"  
  
Akira's eyes, which were an exact replica of her father's, shimmered with delight. "And then can we go outside and train?"  
  
Seifer chuckled as he slid out of bed. "Yeah, then we can train 'til your heart's content."  
  
"Now you wait here," Seifer instructed the 11-year old standing before him. "I'll be back with my Gunblade." And he went around the back of the house to fetch his weapon of choice from the life his daughter knew nothing about. And he wanted it to stay that way. His past was just that - the past. Akira didn't need to know what her father was like when he was 18 and a complete idiot. Now he was 29 and had a whole new life. No one, not even Mr. High and Mighty, aka Squall Leonheart could spoil it now. He never wanted to see any of those stuck up SeeDs ever again.  
  
Akira slowly ambled around the front yard, kicking at rocks and dirt innocently. Then, the sound of a bird flying by caught her ear, and she watched as it soared across the bright blue sky. As her purified emerald eyes followed the animal, her gaze soon rested upon a looming structure way out in the distance. "Whoa..." A huge dome shaped building stood out among the greenery around it; it was brightly colored and brightly lit. She'd never seen anything like it in her life.  
  
The sound of Seifer's footsteps reached her ears, but she didn't turn to face him. "Okay, I'm back." He stood there for a moment, but his daughter seemed to be intrigued by something out in the valley below. He went to her side and followed her gaze, his stomach tying into multiple knots when he realized what she was so interested in: Balamb Garden.  
  
"What's that thing Daddy?" she asked. He could tell she was in awe.  
  
"It's nothing," he replied quickly. "Come on."  
  
"No. I wanna go there." She turned to him, a pleading look in her eyes. "Can we Daddy?"  
  
"Absolutely not," he told her firmly.  
  
"But... But why?" She was already beginning to tear up.  
  
"Because I said so."  
  
"That's not a good answer!" she said defiantly.  
  
"Well it's good enough for me," he replied. "Now come on Akira." His daughter said nothing more about Balamb for the rest of the day, but he knew the time would come when she'd ask again, and he'd eventually have to tell her why exactly she couldn't go there. Hopefully though, that time wouldn't come for quite a while.  
  
Seifer sat in the kitchen, the handle of a mug of strong coffee being held firmly in his grasp. Akira questioning about Balamb had given him wild anxiety, causing the old emotions that had fired him up since he'd first gone to Balamb Garden to stir deep inside him once again. He couldn't hide it forever; she was only eleven years old for Hyne's sake, but sooner or later it would come up again. Thinking about it only caused his stomach to turn itself inside out.  
  
He heard soft footsteps which caused him to turn halfway around, where he saw a blonde haired, green eyed little girl standing. "Daddy, I can't sleep..." she grumbled as she climbed up into her father's lap. "And it's all because of you."  
  
"Me?" Seifer was slightly taken aback. "What did I do?"  
  
"You were mean to me before." Seifer suddenly realized what she meant. "Why can't we go to that place Daddy?"  
  
Seifer sighed and began involuntarily playing with Akira's long hair. "You're too young to understand hon..." he told her, almost sadly.  
  
"Well when will I be old enough to understand?" she insisted.  
  
Seifer shook his head. "I don't know. But you'll be the first person I tell when I find out okay?" A smile formed at the corners of his mouth.  
  
"It'll be when I'm fifty, right?" Akira asked with a roll of her eyes. "Cause by then, I'll probably be a mommy already." Akira laughed, but as soon as Seifer heard the word 'mommy', his heart ached something fierce. "Daddy?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Why don't I have a mommy?" Seifer's throat tightened, but somehow, he'd known the question was coming.  
  
"You do have a mommy, Akira. But... She's not here anymore..."  
  
"Why? Doesn't she like me?" Akira's voice held naivety but her eyes told him she somehow understood.  
  
"No! Of course she does, 'Kira. It's just... Your mommy couldn't take care of you, so she let me do it instead." Seifer visibly cringed as he awaited Akira's response.  
  
"Will I ever see Mommy?"  
  
Seifer hesitated. "I don't... think so. So you just stick with me, okay sweetheart?"  
  
Akira nodded and flashed him a smile. "You got it!"  
  
"Now will you get your little tush back to sleep?" Seifer asked as he lifted her up as he stood. He had never realized how heavy she was. Time seemed to be flying anymore.  
  
"Hmm... could be..." she replied with a smirk. "As long as you promise we can go somewhere tomorrow."  
  
Seifer laughed and he began walking towards Akira's bedroom. "Go somewhere? Hyne, where do you get all your energy, 'Kira?"  
  
"How should I know? All I know is I got it and I need to use it all up!"  
  
"Use it all up?" Seifer echoed.  
  
Akira raised an eyebrow in a similar manner to Seifer. "Is there an echo in here?" Seifer laughed once again as he recalled the line he always said from a teenager and up. "I gotta use all my energy up before I get all old like you, Daddy!"  
  
"Oh, is that so?" By this time, they had reached her bedroom, which was adorned with stuffed animals of every kind (she collected them) and bright colors everywhere you looked. Seifer tossed her gently onto the bed, causing her to giggle uncontrollably. "Now go to sleep!" he told her with a grin.  
  
Akira sat up for a moment and saluted, which of course reminded him of life at Garden, causing his heart to momentarily sink. "Yes, sir!" Seifer leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Night, Daddy!" she said as she slid under the covers.  
  
"Goodnight baby."  
  
As Seifer shut off the light and exited the tiny room, he leaned against the hall wall to think for a bit. Man Almasy, you got a little girl in there who's so much like you it's eerie. Who'd ever believe that? he asked himself. But she can't go to Balamb Garden. Never. Not only is she an Almasy, but if she went, then I'd have to go as well - to sign for her. I never want to see Squall or any of the others ever again, I swore to that. And I meant it.  
  
Like it so far? Please let me know. And for those of you who like Seiftis fics this might turn into a Seiftis eventually, but it wouldn't be for a little while. And let me know what you think of Seifer being a dad. A lot of fics have a "new generation" theme going, but I haven't seen that many who really zone in on how Seifer would handle fatherhood. Stay tuned!!


	3. Age Of Innocence

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters of FF8. The only characters that are mine are Akira, Terra and introduced in this chapter, Shiloh.  
  
A/N: Nuttin to say but please review and thanks to those of you that already did: Templar, LiquidSky, Aelise39, lestatsdarkrose, Vamp Queen, Voice Of Mystery, HellFireAngel, Lady Hope, Kezzer and of course, Baby Rose!

Chapter Two: Age Of Innocence  
  
"My feet hurt. I'm hungry. I'm tired. I wanna go home. This is boring. It's too hot out. I'm thirsty. Daddy, are you even listening to me??" Akira held onto her father's wrist, tugging it as they walked along the path through Balamb Forest. Seifer hadn't been anywhere near Balamb _or_ Garden for years. In fact, not since he'd been exiled from Garden. He figured it would be okay to take a hike through the woods near there, since no one seemed to go there anymore anyway.  
  
"Hon, you wanted to do something so we are. Can't you just... enjoy nature?" Seifer asked tiredly. He wasn't tired of walking, he was tired of his daughter's incessant whining.  
  
"Nature sucks! It's boring! What do you do for fun around here?" Akira grumbled as she let go of his hand and crossed her arms.  
  
"You don't _do_ anything in nature, you... You just admire it." Even Seifer thought what he was saying was corny, and apparently, so did Akira.  
  
"Well admiring is boring too!" As they continued walking, getting closer and closer to the plains as well as the shore, a loud whirring and people's voices could be heard in the distance. Akira's eyes brightened, as though she'd been away from civilization all her life. "What's that?" And she took off sprinting in the direction of the noise.  
  
"Akira! Get back here!!" He sighed and began running after her. For all he knew, that noise could be coming from an enemy. An enemy? Seifer didn't have enemies. He no longer belonged to a Garden where enemies were abound. What had he been thinking?  
  
He stopped short behind some bushes as he saw Akira talking to a man around his age. A man he could pick out in any crowd. Squall Leonheart. What was he doing there? And with a uniform on? Geez, how long did he expect to stick around at Balamb Garden?  
  
He strained his ears to listen in on their conversation. "Hi!" Akira said cheerfully.  
  
"You shouldn't be here," Squall said. After all these years, his temperment hadn't changed one bit. "Are you lost?"  
  
Akira shook her head. "Nope. My Daddy's here with me. So what are you doing?"  
  
Squall sighed as he looked past her, trying to find this girl's father. "I'm seeing a group of trainees off on their field mission. They want to become SeeDs one day."  
  
Akira looked highly intrigued. "Why would they wanna be seeds? To plant flowers?"  
  
Squall chuckled slightly. "No, not like that. SeeDs are -- "  
  
"Nothing she should be learning about," came Seifer's voice. He walked towards the two slowly and took Akira's hand. "Come on 'Kira."  
  
"But Daddy...!"  
  
"We're leaving," Seifer told her.  
  
Squall stood there, dumbfounded. His steel blue eyes remained widened and his mouth was slightly gaped. Where had Seifer been for so long? And he had a family too? It was hard to think of Seifer as being a father. "Seifer... You..."  
  
"I don't wanna fill her head with all that SeeD garbage," he told him. The two of them walked away, Akira protesting the entire time.  
  
Headmaster Cid looked up from his paperwork as he heard a knock at his door. The man had been showing his age for quite some time - his hair was completely gray, his sight was no longer proficient, and he had quite a few wrinkles, but he still remained the same old Cid everyone at Balamb Garden knew and loved. He saw Squall standing in the doorway and he waved his hand for him to come in. "Mr. Leonhart! What can I do for you?"  
  
"Well, sir... I found something out that I think you should know..." Squall eased himself down into the chair in front of Cid's desk.  
  
Cid still didn't look worried or even the slightest bit concerned, although Squall acted otherwise. "What is it?"  
  
"When I was seeing the group of SeeDs off on their mission, I... I saw this little girl wandering about. She couldn't have been any older than 12."  
  
Cid shook his head and smiled. "What's so terrible about that?"  
  
"You don't understand sir, that little girl... She's Seifer's daughter."  
  
Now, Cid's face finally showed an emotion other than happiness. His face became set, rather coldly, Squall thought to himself. "Seifer you say? He dared to show his face around my Garden?"  
  
Squall nodded. "Yes sir. He didn't say much though, but what he did say was rather... cruel." Squall wasn't sure if he should be telling Headmaster Cid all of this, but Seifer had been exiled as a traitor of Balamb and Garden as well.  
  
"What did he say?" Now Cid was incredibly somber, which even surprised Squall.  
  
"He said he didn't want her to know anything about SeeD, which I found... odd I guess."  
  
"Then that proves it. He still holds a hostility towards this Garden. Maybe he's even sided with Galbadia again."  
  
"Well... what are we going to do sir?" Squall was tempted to ask if he could be the one to personally take care of Seifer, but he bit his tongue. Headmaster Cid wasn't one for violence. Most of the time, his bark was worse than his bite.  
  
Cid sighed and removed his glasses, placing them gently on the desk. "We can't do anything Squall. Seifer left us because he was exiled, and people are only exiled for heinous things, such as what he did. He deliberately turned his back on his Garden as well as his comrades. But... He still has the right to live, Squall. We leave him alone." Squall was almost disappointed at Cid's answer to the situation. Leaving Seifer alone to just... Well, Seifer had already been punished by being exiled, so neither of them owed anything to the other. What was done was done.  
  
Squall stood. "All right sir, I just... thought you'd like to know."  
  
Cid gave a nod and replaced his glasses on his face. "Thank you Squall. I appreciate your concern."  
  
Squall entered the kitchen to find Rinoa fixing herself something to eat. She turned at the sound of footsteps and smiled, reaching out to give her husband a hug and kiss. "Where've you been all day sweetie?"  
  
Squall sighed and took a seat at the table. He let out a yelp and stood back up for a moment, removing a toy truck from underneath his rear and tossing it onto the floor. "Well, the trainees were asking about a million and one questions about their mission after I'd just gone through explaining it to them... twice... And then... I had a talk with Headmaster Cid."  
  
Rinoa placed a plate of leftovers into the microwave and sat down beside Squall. "A talk with the headmaster? What about?"  
  
"I, uh... I saw Seifer this afternoon." Rinoa let out a quiet gasp. "And he has a daughter."  
  
"Seifer has a daughter?" Rinoa echoed. "Good for him." Squall was surprised at Rinoa's reaction to the news.  
  
"What do you mean "good for him"? Aren't you... shocked?"  
  
Rinoa giggled as the microwave buzzed. She stood and retrieved her meal, returning to her seat by Squall. "Seifer is a human being Squall. It's no surprise he has a wife and kids now. Why shouldn't he?" Squall had nothing to say to Rinoa. She was right, but he'd never admit it, not even to her. "But what I don't understand is... why'd you talk to Headmaster about it?"  
  
"I felt he needed to know. Seifer was an enemy for a while Rin. Even he was thinking that maybe he joined up with Galbadia again."  
  
"Squall, think about what you're saying for a minute here. Seifer has a daughter now right?" Squall nodded. "Why would he put his life on the line constantly if he has a child and wife to support? You quit being a SeeD when we had our baby, so why wouldn't he?"  
  
"He isn't sensible like that Rinoa. He doesn't care about anyone but himself." Squall's voice held contempt and his icy eyes were frigid.  
  
"Maybe he's changed."  
  
All of a sudden, a young boy the age of ten raced into the room with a large sword. Squall's gunblade. Squall reached out and took the dangerous weapon from the child's hands. "How many times do I have to tell you not to play with this Shiloh?"  
  
Shiloh, with his mother's eyes and father's hair, hung his head. "I dunno..." he muttered.  
  
"Exactly," Squall barked. "I've told you so many times that you don't even remember."  
  
"Squall..." Rinoa hated it when Squall reprimanded their son. She always seemed to think he was too strict with him.  
  
"Rin, if he keeps running around the house with this, he'll get hurt."  
  
"Dad, I am _not _gonna get hurt," Shiloh insisted. "I know what I'm doing. And guess what?"  
  
Squall was almost afraid to ask. "What?"  
  
"I'm gonna be a SeeD just like you Dad. Then, you won't yell at me for running around with a gunblade anymore." Shiloh smirked as he crossed his arms, almost defiantly.  
  
"You... want to be a SeeD?" Squall asked. He felt Rinoa place her hand on his shoulder.  
  
Shiloh nodded fervently. "Yeah. I saw that smelly old uniform in your closet when I was looking for your gunblade 'cause you hid it from me the last time I... Oops..."  
  
Squall smiled and picked up Shiloh. "So you're a little spy are you?"  
  
Shiloh tried to squirm away from his father desperately. "Dad... Cut it out!"  
  
"Squall, don't let him get away with it," Rinoa said with a smirk.  
  
"Oh I won't..." He began tickling his son's ribs until he was laughing so hard he was crying.  
  
"Okay, okay! I won't do it again! Hahaha!! I promise!!" Shiloh cried. Finally Squall set him back down.  
  
Squall walked into the living room in a zombified state. He had woken up in the middle of the night due to the loud commotion coming from the next room. He found Shiloh seated on the couch, watching cartoons and eating a bagful of cookies his mother had made three days ago. "What are you doing awake?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep," came shiloh's reply. His big brown eyes were glued to the television screen. "Wanna watch tv with me?" Squall was about to say no to his son's offer, but didn't.  
  
"Shi, can I talk to you for a minute about something?" Squall asked.  
  
"Um, yeah. There's a commercial on now anyway."  
  
"When you said you wanted to be a SeeD earlier, did you mean that?"  
  
"Definitely! It'd be so awesome to kill enemy soldiers and to go on secret missions and stuff." Squall looked almost disappointed at Shiloh's answer. He'd expected to hear him say that he wanted to be a SeeD to help protect people and to become a stronger person, but that was until he realized he was talking to a ten year old.  
  
"Oh, I see. You want all the action and none of the responsibility, right?" Squall smiled, but inside he was saddened.  
  
"Responsibility? You don't have any responsibilities when you're a SeeD! You get to do what you want, when you want and how you want. And if anyone says any different, POW! You can beat them up and knock them out!"  
  
"I admire your enthusiasum Shiloh," Squall said with a chuckle.  
  
"What's enthusisum Dad?"  
  
"Um... Your spunk. I admire your spunk."  
  
Well there's the next chapter. And to Templar, I'm very sorry about not emailing you before about the new chapter! I hope you don't hate me!! :) Anyway, please review and lemme know what you think, okay? 


	4. My Own Worst Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 or any of it's characters. I only own Shiloh, Akira and Terra.  
  
A/N: Oh... my... God! Thank you all sooooo much for the excellent reviews!! I never thought this fic would have so many readers, because it was just a spur of the moment thing I started and I decided to post it. And to those of you who put this fic on your favorites list (you know who you are) thank you too!! Well, Akira is no longer that sweet innocent little eleven year old anymore. She's now older, and keep in mind, she's SEIFER'S daughter... ^_~ Enjoy!  
  
  
  
Akira entered the smoke filled kitchen as she immediatly went into a fit of coughs. "Dad?!"  
  
"Over here..." She stumbled further into the kitchen and found the table. She made her way around it and walked into Seifer.  
  
"Dad, what are you doing?!" she exclaimed as she opened the window to let the smoke float out. Soon, the room began to clear. "You wanna burn the house down?"  
  
"I was making breakfast," he defended himself. Akira immediatly began laughing as she saw Seifer with an apron on and a charred spatula in his right hand.  
  
"Dad, you look like a dork," she stated with a smile. "What's with the apron? You look much better in the trenchcoat."  
  
"Excuse me if I don't want grease all over my clothes 'Kira." He smiled and began to untie the apron from around his waist. He threw the spatula away; it was useless now. "What are you doing up this early? Usually you sleep until noon."  
  
"I know, but I wanted to go to..." She stopped talking as she sat at the table, biting her lip.  
  
Seifer looked suspicious. "Go... where?"  
  
She shook her head, her golden hair falling into her pretty face. "Nowhere. I was um... gonna go to... uh... a store." She almost visibly winced as she awaited her father's response.  
  
"I see... So tell me," Seifer sat down, a smile on his face, but it wasn't a happy one. It was a sarcastic smile. "Where were you *really* gonna go?"  
  
"It's the truth Dad! Why do you always have to interrogate me whenever I'm going somewhere?!"  
  
"Because most of the time, you're lying Akira Almasy. I don't feel like I can trust you anymore. You're always going out and I see you talking with people you never told me about. What's going on anymore?"  
  
"Dad... I know it's hard being a single parent and all, but... you need to lay off. I mean, I'm seventeen years old for Hyne's sake. I'm out of school now, and I need to start making a life for myself." She stood up and made her way to the door. "I'll be back before dinner."  
  
(A/N: I know a seventeen year old would still be in school, but in the Final Fantasy world, let's just say that thirteen years of school aren't required, 'kay? ^^)  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Akira carefully trekked through the weedy field that she had gone through so many times without anyone knowing. She almost tripped as her boots got caught in the high, ankle-strangling grass, but eventually she reached her destination. She sat on the giant boulder that acted as a borderline for her. She'd never walked past it once, although many times she had been tempted to. Out in front of her was the huge structure known as Balamb Garden. She wanted to go there so badly. Her mind told her Seifer would no doubt ground her until the next Sorceress War, but her heart said she belonged there.  
  
"I'm turning eighteen tomorrow," she said to herself. "Why won't he just let me at least visit that place?" She laid back on the boulder and looked up at the sky, sighing. "And why won't he ever talk about Mom? Everytime I ask about her, he says it isn't important and changes the subject..."  
  
The soft crunching of footsteps sounded from behind her and she sat up to turn around. She almost expected Seifer to be standing there, arms crossed and a disappointed look in those emerald eyes. Instead, she saw a boy her age. He had wild russet hair and icy blue eyes. He was handsome, that was certain. "Who are you?" she asked indifferently.  
  
"I'm Shiloh. And you are?" Akira wouldn't have known it, but Shiloh was an almost exact replica of his father Squall.  
  
"Akira." She glanced at the object Shiloh held in his hand and realized it was a large sword. "Whoa, where'd you get that?" she asked excitedly as she slid off the rock.  
  
"Oh this?" Shiloh lifted the sword and swung it a few times proudly. "It was my Dad's, but now that I'm a student at Balamb Garden, he gave it to me."  
  
Akira's green eyes widened. "You... you go to Balamb Garden??"  
  
Shiloh raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... Why are you so surprised?"  
  
Akira frowned and sat down. "My dad's against me going there for some reason. He won't let me."  
  
"That's weird. My dad says it's an honor to go there. He was even a SeeD."  
  
"Your dad was a SeeD? Oh man, that's awesome! I just can't undestand it though... Dad was never at Balamb Garden before, but... he won't let *me* go. How does he know it's so awful if he's never been there?"  
  
"Um, Akira? You're losing me here," Shiloh said.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I was just... thinking out loud."  
  
"But your dad thinks Balamb Garden's awful? It's like, the best place ever! You get to train all day, and meet new people..." He noticed the half-jealous, half-saddened look on Akira's face and stopped. "Oh, sorry."  
  
"Well that's it! I'm going to Balamb Garden if it's the last thing I do, and whether he likes it or not! He can't tell me what to do."  
  
"Well, I think there may be a slight problem with your plan of rebellion," Shiloh said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"A parent has to sign for you. You can't just go there, unless of course you're an orphan. But there's no way to even *pretend* you were orphaned so..."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll figure something out."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear 'Kira, happy birthday to you!" Seifer howled as he brought the homemade cake to the table. It was extremely lopsided, and the two of them couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Dad, give my eardrums a break and uh... next time you make a cake, ask someone to help, okay?" Akira asked with a smile.  
  
Seifer grinned back. "Okay, okay. Come on, blow the candles out and make a wish."  
  
Akira took a deep breath and closed her eyes, blowing out all eighteen candles in one shot. "Wanna know what I wished for Dad?" she asked as he began cutting the cake.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to keep wishes secrets or else they won't come true?"  
  
"Not in this case," Akira told him. She built up all the nerve she had and just blurted it out: "Dad, I wanna go to Balamb Garden." Seifer set down the knife and sighed.  
  
"Absolutely not," he barked. "I told you time and time again Akira, you're not enrolling in that place."  
  
"But you never even went there Dad, how do you know?"  
  
"Akira..." He knew he couldn't keep it from her anymore. She'd just keep asking and asking until eventually she'd find out on her own, and she'd hate him for it. "There's something I have to tell you." Seifer was just about to tell his daughter that he *did* go to Balamb Garden, and that he'd turned against everyone there and almost destroyed it. He was about to tell her that he was a culprit in the Sorceress War involving Edea, Adel, and Ultimecia. He was about to tell her that he'd been exiled from Garden. He was going to tell her about Terra, her mother and how she'd been conceived during a one night stand. But then the phone rang.  
  
"I'll get it," Akira said throwing Seifer a glare. "Hello?"  
  
"Is... is this the Almasy residence?" came a woman's voice.  
  
"Uh, yeah it is. Who's calling?"  
  
"Akira? Oh Hyne, is that you?" The woman sounded overwhelmed with joy.  
  
"Who is this?" Akira repeated, now annoyed that the caller hadn't identified herself.  
  
"You don't know me?" the woman asked. "Oh, of course you don't know me. You haven't seen me since you were two weeks old... I feel just terrible."  
  
Akira was intrigued. Seifer came over to her. "Who is it?" he whispered. She hushed him with her free hand. "Akira..."  
  
"Quiet Dad!" she muttered.  
  
The woman heard her. "Your father's there too?"  
  
"Yeah, he's here. How do you know him? Who *are* you?"  
  
"This is Terra... your mother."  
  
Akira's heart skipped a beat and she gasped quietly. "My... My mother?" she whispered.  
  
"I wanted to call you and tell you happy birthday. You're eighteen now and I'm sure you're very beautiful Akira."  
  
All of a sudden, Seifer grabbed the phone. "Terra, what the hell do you think you're doing calling here?!"  
  
"Seifer? Listen, I only wanted to tell her happy birthday. She's *my* daughter too, you know."  
  
"You didn't care about her then and you don't care about her now! Don't *ever* call here again!" And he slammed the phone down hard.  
  
"Why didn't you let me talk to her? Where's she been? And why are you mad at her?" Akira had too many questions for Seifer to answer at once.  
  
"Akira... I want to tell you something, but you have to promise not to get mad at me, all right?"  
  
"I don't know. I should be mad at you for keeping something about my own mother from me, period."  
  
"I know, I know sweetheart. Just... just listen. Your mother and I... we didn't know each other. We only spent one night together, and it was wrong. Not... not to have you Akira, but..."  
  
"Wait a second... What are you trying to say? That... That you picked up a hooker and then she got pregnant?? And poof! There I was?!"  
  
"Your mother was no such thing young lady."  
  
"Oh so you were just two ships that passed in the night. I got it," Akira said sourly.  
  
"But it was never a mistake to have you. Never. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I'd do the same thing."  
  
Akira scoffed. "Don't you mean the same person?"  
  
"Don't you dare take that tone with me Akira. You have a major attitude adjustment to be made and I want it made immediatly."  
  
She sarcastically saluted him. "Yes sir."  
  
  
  
I have to admit, I really really liked this chapter. I tried to put quite a bit of drama in it, so I hope I did okay. Once again, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Don't forget to review this chapter too! Bai!! 


	5. I've Got A Feeling

Disclaimer: Akira, Terra and Shiloh are the only people I own.  
  
A/N: Thanx to all who reviewed!! Can you believe there's only four chapters (until people review this one) and 33 reviews?? That's so awesome!! Thanx everyone!!!!!! And I hope you all know that I'm ignoring my other fics for a while cuz I'm updating this so much!! ;P Haha!!  
  
  
  
Akira sat at the train station waiting for the next train. She didn't know where she was going, or even where she *wanted* to go, but that didn't matter. She just wanted to leave and get as far away from her father as she could. How could he do that to her? Just say no without any reason at all? That didn't make sense to her. He claimed that he was her baby girl and that he'd do anything for her, but she figured now that she was older and more independent, that didn't stand anymore.  
  
"Akira?"  
  
She turned to see the boy from before. "Uh, Shiloh?" She'd almost forgotten his name.  
  
"Yeah, that's right," he said with a laugh. "What are you doing here, at the train station?"  
  
She sighed. "I'm running away."  
  
Shiloh looked confused and went around the bench to sit next to her. "Running away? How come?"  
  
"My dad's being so stupid. I told him that I wanted to go to Balamb Garden as my birthday present, but he still said no."  
  
"Happy birthday," Shiloh said with a small smile.  
  
Akira thanked him, although she was more interested in talking about Balamb Garden than her crummy birthday. "I just don't understand why though. Why won't he let me go?"  
  
"I can't answer that for you Akira. *I* don't know why he won't let you go, but maybe you should ask him."  
  
"Don't you think I tried that already? He always tells me it's not important and to forget about it. He's so thick-headed."  
  
"Like... you?" Shiloh asked slowly. Akira glanced at him and crossed her arms, turning away.  
  
"Oh shut up!"  
  
"Hey listen, there's a big staff meeting at Garden today and everyone's all packed into one room listening to the headmaster blab about boring stuff."  
  
"So what?"  
  
"Since the students won't care if you're there or not, why don't I take you for a quick tour? We'll be in and out in no time and your dad won't ever know about it."  
  
Akira's green eyes widened in glee as she stood up, pulling Shiloh to his feet as well. She threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him tight. "You'd do that for me?? Oh Hyne, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" She hopped around and made quite a scene.  
  
"Uh, come on... Let's go."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Whoa... It's even bigger up close," Akira whispered as she and Shiloh stood in front of Balamb Garden. "I've never seen anything like it..."  
  
Shiloh turned to her, looking a little surprised that she was in such awe. "It's... not *that* big."  
  
"Yeah it is! It's *huge*!" Akira gazed up at the structure, almost straining her neck as she did.  
  
"Well then, let's go." Akira felt her heart beat strongly inside her chest. She was so excited to actually be *in* Balamb Garden, the military school of her dreams. She wanted so badly to say she attended classes there, but because of Seifer, she'd never be able to say those words.  
  
The inside of Garden was even bigger than the outside, if that was possible. The huge main hall was enormous. It split into numerous hallways heading to different areas, such as the Training Center and Cafeteria. A large fountain sat in the middle with benches placed around the perimeter. Cheery looking teens walked around, but there were no adults in sight. "Where's all the instructors?" Akira asked quietly as she walked beside Shiloh. He motioned towards the third hallway marked 'Quad'.  
  
"Well, where should we start?" he asked as he stopped walking.  
  
"Oh I don't know... The Cafeteria? I *am* kinda hungry..." She clutched her stomach as it silently growled.  
  
Shiloh smiled. "Sure. Come on."  
  
They walked side by side in silence, and Akira found she couldn't help the quick glances she took at the young man walking beside her. ~Hyne, he's gorgeous...~ Her eyes widened at her own thoughts and she immediatly shook her head free of them. She couldn't help glancing over at him again though. He was one of the cutest boys she'd seen in a very long time she admitted only to herself, but her dad would have a fit if he found out she liked someone from *Balamb Garden*, so she kept her feelings hidden.  
  
They got their lunch and sat at a nearby table. "Like it so far?" Shiloh asked.  
  
She nodded. "Definitly! Maybe if I could get Dad to come here, he'd agree that it's great and let me take classes here."  
  
"You think he would?" Shiloh asked, almost hopefully.  
  
Akira frowned. "No... He'd never do that. If he ever found out I was here, he'd completely mutilate me..."  
  
"Seriously? He'd really be *that* mad?" Shiloh couldn't believe anyone could be so cruel. His dad was so laid back. He was protective, sure. And sometimes he was stern and wouldn't give in, but most of the time he didn't care what he did, as lon as he wasn't out getting hurt or causing trouble.  
  
"Yeah... He would."  
  
They ate the rest of their lunch pretty quietly until Akira pushed away her plate, a signal she was finished. "Well, I'm full."  
  
Shiloh nodded, took one more bite of his burger and stood up. "Want me to throw that away for you?" he asked. His words were horribly muffled due to the food in his mouth, and Akira couldn't help but laugh. She nodded and when he was at the other side of the Cafeteria, she found her mind slipping back to his looks. His eyes were so captivating - the iciest and boldest shade of blue she'd ever seen in her life. He was just... adorable. He returned and she stood up. "Where to next?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The sun was starting to set as the pair exited Garden. The sky was a deep shade of pink and orange, which made for a very romantic setting. "Look, um... thanks a lot for bringing me here. It was really nice of you Shiloh."  
  
Shiloh smiled a bit. "Well if your dad won't let you come here, I'd at least want you to see what it's like, even if it was just for a day."  
  
"You're really lucky to have a dad like you do, and not one that's like Seifer Almasy." She rolled her eyes at the mention of her father's name.  
  
Shiloh looked at her strangely. "Almasy? *Seifer* Almasy?"  
  
She tilted her head to the side, not knowing why he was so shocked. "Yeah, he's my dad." His expression didn't change. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Look, I have to go," he said coldly.  
  
She blinked. "But..."  
  
"No, I... I can't be with you. If my dad ever found out..."  
  
Akira shook her head. "I don't understand, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Just... leave me alone!" He took off back inside Garden. She stood there, tears welling up in her eyes. Why did he act so weird after he found out Seifer Almasy was her father? She just didn't understand anything anymore. The phone call from her mom, why her dad wouldn't let her go to Balamb Garden, and now Shiloh's behavior was confusing her. Her body went stiff as a familiar voice rang out behind her...  
  
"Akira, what in Hyne's name are you doing here?"  
  
  
  
Uh-oh... 'Kira's in trouble! And it looks like there might be a Shiloh/Akira relationship going on... Do you think it's a good idea or not? I'll probably do it anyway, but I just want your opinion. ^-^ Well I guess that's all I have to say for now. Please review and I'll see ya'll later!! Oh yeah, and please check out my other fics too! Bai!! 


	6. Surprise

Disclaimer: I only own Akira, Terra and Shiloh.  
  
A/N: What can I say? Thanks again for the reviews of the last chapter. It means so much to me to know everyone likes this fic. Well here's chapter 6, enjoy and don't forget to review!!  
  
  
  
Akira didn't want to turn around to look Seifer in the face, but somehow she did. She kept her eyes downward, although she still felt the heaviness of his glare. "Answer me," he barked.  
  
"I wanted to see what it was like," she told him quietly, still not lifting her eyes from the ground.  
  
"You wanted to see what it was like..." he echoed as he came forward and grapsed her shoulder. He gave her a gentle shove and she began walking in the direction of home. "You deliberately disobeyed me. I told you not to come here and that's exactly what you did."  
  
Akira's eyes became heated with anger. "It's not like I killed anybody!" she cried. "I don't understand what's so awful about this place! What makes it so wrong?!"  
  
"This is what I was trying to tell you before," Seifer said more softly.  
  
Akira's voice was gentler also. "Before Mom called?" He nodded. "Well then tell me now. There's nothing to interrupt."  
  
Seifer sighed. "All right. I really should have told you this a long time ago, but I was afraid you'd hate me."  
  
Akira raised an eyebrow. "Stop stalling Dad and just say what you wanna say to me."  
  
"Okay, okay. Look, um... Do you remember when you were in school and they told you that the second Sorceress War was aided by outside influences? A... A knight?"  
  
Akira thought a moment, then nodded. "Yeah I remember. They said the Sorceress's Knight almost destroyed Balamb Garden when Sorceress Edea attacked. What about it?"  
  
"Akira... I was that Sorceress's Knight. I *did* go to Balamb Garden when I was your age, but I joined forces with Edea and stabbed everyone who went there in the back. I almost destroyed my only home. Luckily, everything turned out for the better, but... I was kicked out of Garden for what I did. I was never a SeeD either. My attitude was what held me back. I had the skills, but because of my behavior... I never passed any of the exams."  
  
Akira didn't say anything at first. Her eyes were widened and she was lost in what Seifer had told her. "So... that's why you can't go there. If they found out you were my daughter, they'd never accept you and it wouldn't be fair."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me all this before?" she asked finally.  
  
He sighed. "I told you. I was afraid you'd be mad."  
  
"Don't you think I'd be more upset that you hid it from me my whole life?"  
  
"I never really thought about it," he replied.  
  
Akira suddenly stopped walking, as if she'd just remembered something she'd forgotten long ago. "Wait a minute... Then that's why Shiloh ran off like that..."  
  
"Shiloh? Who's Shiloh?"  
  
"He's a guy that goes to Balamb. As soon as I told him you were my dad, he got all weird and left. He said if his dad ever found out, he'd be in big trouble."  
  
Seifer thought a moment. It couldn't be... "What did this Shiloh look like?"  
  
"Well, he has icy blue eyes, messy brown hair and he carries a gunblade. His dad was a SeeD too, but that's about all I know."  
  
"Squall..." Seifer's voice became acidic as he spoke the name.  
  
"What? Who's Squall?"  
  
"Squall is my biggest rival from years and years ago. And I think he may be Shiloh's father." Akira gasped a little. "Did he tell you his last name?"  
  
"No, and I didn't until just now. That's when he left."  
  
Seifer didn't say anything else, and because of that, neither did Akira.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A soft knock came from the doorway of Akira's bedroom and she turned to see Seifer standing there. "'Kira can I talk to you for a second?"  
  
"Sure Dad," she said. It relieved him that she wasn't upset anymore. "What's up?"  
  
"I've been thinking a lot lately. It's not fair if you'd go to Balamb Garden and be treated like dirt, but... it's also not fair for me to hold you back from going at all. You're 18 years old, and can make your own decisions. So... if you wanna go, I'll gladly sign for you."  
  
Akira beamed and threw her arms around his shoulders. "Oh Hyne, thank you so much!!!" She let go of him and began dancing around the room crazily. Seifer couldn't help but start laughing. She stopped and became serious for a moment. "I love you Dad."  
  
He was touched by her words. "I love you too 'Kira." They both smiled.  
  
After some silence, Akira opened up her closet. "So Dad, since you *did* go to Balamb, what do I need to take with me?" Seifer chuckled and stood. He shut the closet and motioned for her to follow him into his bedroom. He opened up his closet and reached way into the back.  
  
"Well first of all, you need a weapon. How else are you gonna be a SeeD?" He brought out a long steel sword that grew thinner at the tip of the shimmering blade. "This is mine. Hyperion."  
  
She took it from him, holding it ever so gently so as not to drop it. "Oh man... This is the most awesome sword in the world!"  
  
"And now it's yours," he told her with a smile.  
  
She smiled and wrapped her one arm around his back, holding Hyperion with the other. "Thanks Dad."  
  
"No problem," he told her. "Now hurry up and go to bed. Sign ups start at nine."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey Zell?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Shiloh and Zell were walking to the Cafeteria from the Training Center. They had been battling Grats and T-Rexaurs all morning and now they were quite hungry. "You know Seifer Almasy?"  
  
Zell's face became grim. "How could anyone forget *him*? He's just an asshole. Why'd you bring him up?"  
  
"Oh... no reason." Shiloh was desperately trying to forget about Akira and he was trying to make himself believe he never wanted to see her again. But as much as he tried, he wanted to be with her even more. If his dad, or anyone else at Garden for that matter knew he had even *associated* with Seifer Almasy's daughter, they'd surely hate him for it. It was hard to believe such a beautiful girl, both inside and out, was the daughter of a hated man.  
  
They entered the main hall and turned towards the direction of the Cafeteria, when Shiloh stopped in his tracks. "What's she doing here?" he murmured. Zell stopped as well and tried to see why Shiloh was in shock. He looked over to where Shiloh's eyes were locked and let out a yelp.  
  
"Seifer?? What the hell is he doing here??"  
  
  
  
Well there's the next chapter. I'm sorry it's a little on the short side, but I wanted to end it there as sort of a cliffhanger. There will be more of Zell's reaction in the next chapter, so don't worry, he's not finished flipping out, lol. But what do you think everyone else will do? Lemme know in a review!! Bye!!! 


	7. Black Market Blood

Disclaimer: You know this by now... Akira, Terra and Shiloh are mine and that's it!  
  
"Is that... Seifer?" Shiloh asked, almost afraid of the answer.  
  
Zell nodded, his hands balled into fists. "Yeah that's him... What's he doing here?? It had to have been... almost 40 years... But he hasn't changed a bit."  
  
"Looks like his daughter..." Shiloh commented, hiding the fact that he knew very well who she was.  
  
"Looks that way doesn't it?" Zell asked smartly. "But knowing him it's his girlfriend." Shiloh was taken aback. Seifer couldn't possibly be that bad could he? "We better go tell the headmaster..." Zell stopped midsentence as he watched Seifer and Akira walk up the steps to the elevator. They watched as they stepped in and rode it up, passing the second floor. "But it looks like they're already heading there..."  
  
"I'm scared Dad," Akira said quietly as she hugged herself and leaned against the side of the elevator.  
  
"Hey, everything's gonna be fine. No one made a scene yet, and I didn't see anyone I knew yet... That's funny..."  
  
The elevator stopped and the doors slid apart. Akira glanced over at her father and he gave her a nod, telling her it was all right. She stepped out and Seifer followed her towards the large door to Headmaster Cid's office. He reached out and knock loudly. "Come in," came a familiar voice from inside. They stepped in to see a graying man in a white shirt, red vest and black slacks. He hasn't changed a bit Seifer thought. Well, maybe his hair...  
  
Cid's mouth dropped open. He picked up his glasses from the desk and placed them on his face, still in complete shock. "S-Seifer?" he muttered as he stood. He couldn't believe his eyes. Was Seifer Almasy really standing six feet in front of him? "Is... Is that you?"  
  
Seifer nodded solemnly. He wanted to remain as serious as possible to show that he had changed and matured. He didn't want to be an outcast anymore, especially with his daughter wanting to attend there. "Yes sir. It's me."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Cid tried to remain civil, but Seifer could tell he wanted to be nastier to him.  
  
"This is my daughter Akira." He motioned to the blonde teen at his side. "She would like to be a student here, and I'm here to sign for her."  
  
Cid was extremely hesitant. "You do realize the rumors that will circulate? And the contempt that will be held against her?"  
  
Seifer sighed. "Sir... she has nothing to do with what I did or who I am. I'd like her to be treated with the same respect as any other student. It would be very unfair."  
  
"Seifer, it is not I or the instructors that I'm worried about. The students, they... Kids can be cruel." Seifer realized he wasn't Mr. Almasy, he was being called Seifer. At least Cid was being kind enough to refer to him on a first name basis.  
  
"Um, sir?" Akira butted in bravely. "I've wanted to come here ever since I was little. I saw Balamb Garden so many times and I remember each time, I only wnated to see what it was like even more. My dad didn't tell me about the Sorceress War up until just yesterday. And if you don't mind, sir, I'd really like to enroll." Seifer placed his hand on her shoulder proudly.  
  
Cid sighed and sat back down. "I cannot turn away any SeeD hopeful, no matter what. It is fine with me if you wish to enroll here. Just... know what you're in for, all right?" Akira smiled and nodded. He went into his desk and pulled out a form. "Fill this out and then have your father sign it. You can move in as soon as I find a dorm for you."  
  
Seifer's heart sunk slightly at the words 'move in'. He gave a small smile to Cid, who simply nodded in reply. That made Seifer a little submissive, but he didn't take it to heart too much. "We'll be seeing you," he said. Seifer and Akira left and got back into the elevator.  
  
"He's what?!" Squal exclaimed, almost spilling his drink of ice water on himself.  
  
Zell nodded fervently. "Yeah, him and some girl Shiloh's age went up to Headmaster Cid's office just now. I don't know why though." As Zell told Squall the story, Shiloh stood off to the side, being extremely quiet.  
  
"What's the matter honey?" Rinoa asked as she combed through her son's hair.  
  
"Nothin' Mom... It's just... Nothing."  
  
Rinoa knew there was something bothering Shiloh. At first, she thought it was because of Squall's reaction to Zell's gossip. Little did she know, that was only half of the problem. "Squall, sweetie... Why don't you calm down a little, all right? You're upsetting your son." Squall looked over at Shiloh, and Shiloh immediatly switched moods.  
  
"No Mom! I don't care if he flips! Just leave me out of this okay??" He stomped away.  
  
"Shiloh!" Rinoa called, but Squall hushed her.  
  
"Let him go. We have bigger problems," he said sternly.  
  
Rinoa narrowed her dark eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Squall do you really think this is so important?"  
  
"Rin, he might be here to do something even worse than what he did before."  
  
Zell joined in to defend his friend. "Yeah Rinoa. This is Seifer Almasy we're talking about here! And he's back! What could be more suspicious?"  
  
Rinoa scoffed. "Look, I agree that Seifer being here is a little... odd... But we can't jump to conclusions. Maybe he's changed, like I said before. And you said she has a young girl with him?"  
  
Zell nodded. "Yeah, she's probably his girlfriend or something. He's the kinda guy to rob the cradle if anyone is."  
  
"Zell, did you ever think for a moment that maybe she's his daughter?" Rinoa's question silenced both Squall and Zell.  
  
Seifer and Akira were walking back in the direction of the exit when all of a sudden, Seifer stopped. He gazed out into the distance, almost in a hypnotized state. Akira couldn't understand what was so intriguing. All she saw were people walking around. Nothing special. "Dad?" She waved her hand in front of his eyes and he blinked, turning back to her. "What's got your eyes superglued to it?" she asked with a laugh.  
  
"Oh, uh... Nothing. Let's uh... Let's go."  
  
"No way Dad. You're not getting away that easily. What were you looking at?"  
  
"Quistis Trepe," he said almost dreamily.  
  
"Huh? Who's she?" Seifer pointed out into the distance to a woman Akira hadn't seen before. She had long beautiful blonde hair and was very pretty. One of the prettiest women Akira had ever seen to be honest. "Wow... You know her?"  
  
"I've known her ever since I was little. She was my instructor too, but then... they told her she wasn't instructor material." Seifer was almost saddened by the words.  
  
"Aww, that sucks," Akira said. "Hey, hey look! She saw you!"  
  
Seifer began walking quickly away, pulling Akira along as she tried to stop him. "Let's go."  
  
"Dad, stop it!! Ow! Let go!" Seifer lightened his grip but still pulled her behind him. "Dad, I wanna meet her!"  
  
Seifer sighed and stopped. "Fine." They began walking over to Quistis, who had almost thought Seifer hadn't seen her. "Quistis." Needless to say, Seifer felt very awkward.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked immediatly. "It's been so long..."  
  
"I know, I know. And I don't really belong here, but my daughter wants to become a SeeD. Quistis, this is Akira." Quistis extended her hand to shake Akira's politely.  
  
"Nice to meet you ma'am."  
  
Quistis smiled. "Well at least she has better manners than her father," she commented only half seriously. It still caused Akira to feel uncomfortable. "I hope you become a SeeD Akira. Maybe you'll be in one of my classes this semester?"  
  
"Oh, you're an instructor now?" Seifer asked.  
  
"Yes. I was given my job back shortly after you left..." She felt odd about saying that and shifted her blue eyes downward.  
  
Seifer was quieted as well. "Come on 'Kira. We gotta go. Nice seeing you again Quis."  
  
Quistis nodded. "Likewise Mr. Almasy. And Miss." Akira smiled and followed her father out of Garden.


	8. Cleanin' Out My Closet

Disclaimer: I only own Terra, Akira, Shiloh and Chloe (introduced in this chapter). Everyone else belongs to Squaresoft.  
  
Akira stood in front of Balamb Garden, her heavy knapsack hanging over her already aching shoulder. Seifer came up behind her. He'd been saddened almost all day due to the fact that he wouldn't see his daughter until the weekend when everyone at Garden had their two-day vacation. She turned to face him as he forced a smile. "Well... this is it..." she told him. He nodded and shifted his gaze to the large dome building in front of them.  
  
"This'll be like your second home soon," he said distantly. "I know you'll enjoy it here."  
  
"I hope so," she replied with a laugh. "I just don't wanna flunk my first test or... or do something to humiliate myself." Seifer approached her and put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"Just do your best. That's all anyone can ever ask of you. No matter what, I'll be proud of you." She smiled and gave him a tight hug.  
  
"Okay, well... I'd better go. I have to meet Headmaster Cid soon. He's assigning my dorm and stuff."  
  
Seifer nodded. "All right. I'll see you in a few days then."  
  
"Bye Dad. I love you."  
  
I love you too 'Kira." They hugged one last time before Akira disappeared inside Garden.  
  
"Okay... at least I can remember where his office is," Akira said to herself as she made her way towards the elevator. Just before she reached the small set of stairs, someone ran right into her, almost knocking her down. A girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes rubbed her sore arm and smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry about that. I was kinda in a hurry. By the way, I'm Chloe Kinneas, who're you?"  
  
Akira extended her hand and Chloe accepted it. "I'm Akira Almasy. I'm new here." Chloe's eyes widened and suddenly, Akira thought it had been stupid to blurt out her last name like that. She winced as she awaited Chloe's response, which was totally different than what she'd expected.  
  
"You're new here? Then that means I get to skip classes today!" she shouted happily. Akira sighed quietly. "I'm in charge of making sure new students get settled in. I show them around and help them find stuff. It's great 'cause I get to get out of class when I do."  
  
Akira nodded. "Sounds like a good deal. But first I have to go see the headmaster. He's giving me a dorm."  
  
Chloe nodded. "Okay, well I'll meet you back here when you're done."  
  
"Okay." Akira continued up the steps and got into the elevator. When she reached the third floor and entered Cid's office, she saw a man already standing in there with him. He looked almost exactly like Shiloh, except he was much older. Was he Shiloh's father? She could almost bet on it. He turned and glared at her as she stepped up to the desk. "Uh, sir?"  
  
"Akira," Cid only acknowledged her by saying her first name. "Your dorm is room 18. The Dormitory goes in order so it won't be hard to find." She nodded and turned to leave, but before she did, she wanted to make a good impression on the man standing beside her. She smiled at him, but he only turned away and waited for Cid to talk with him once again. She sighed and left the office.  
  
"That was Seifer's daughter," Squall said bluntly.  
  
Cid nodded. "Yes... Yes she is."  
  
"How is this Garden going to run properly when the child of an enemy is attending here?" Squall was almost being disrespectful and Cid was going to put a stop to it before he got carried away.  
  
"Mr. Leonheart, I understand your opinion, but you know the rules. We cannot be prejudice against anyone willing to fight as a SeeD and protect Balamb Garden. Seifer was exiled, not Akira."  
  
Squall didn't say anything to that. He just saluted and left.  
  
"Where to first?" asked Chloe as she bounced along beside Akira.  
  
"Hmm... I'm not sure..." Akira didn't have the heart to tell Chloe that she already knew how to get around Garden because of Shiloh, so she played dumb. "What about the Library?"  
  
Chloe pondered the suggestion. "Okay! You can meet my mom and dad!" She grabbed Akira's hand and pulled her along to the corridor labeled 'Library'. It was much quieter inside than it was in the main area, which wasn't so loud to begin with. Chloe pointed to a pair of adults. The woman had short brown hair that flipped up on the ends. She wore a rust- colored blouse and a long denim skirt. The man had on a white t-shirt and a pair of khaki pants. His long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he was holding a dark brown cowboy hat under his arm. "That's my mom Selphie and my dad Irvine. Just be careful though... They're sickening when they flirt." Chloe rolled her eyes and led Akira over to her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Akira Almasy. She's new here."  
  
Selphie and Irvine exchanged a nervous glance, but tried to be kind just the same. "Uh... hey there," Irvine said. Akira suddenly felt out of place. She knew by their looks that Selphie and Irvine must've known her father.  
  
Selphie smiled brightly and extended her petite hand. Akira shook it. "Nice to meet you!" Irvine looked over at her, a little surprised that she was being so outgoing to this girl. "So you're new here?"  
  
Akira nodded, glad that Selphie's reaction hadn't been as bad as her husband's. "Yes ma'am. I want to be a SeeD someday." Selphie and Irvine both nodded and smiled at her. She smiled back and suddenly didn't feel so bad.  
  
Chloe tugged on her friend's arm. "C'mon. I wanna introduce you to more people!" Akira said goodbye to the couple and walked off with Chloe. Irvine turned to Selphie.  
  
"You sure took that well," he commented as he put his hat on.  
  
"Well Irvy, I think that it isn't as bad as you all think it is that Seifer's daughter's here. She's seems nice enough, and Chloe seems to like her a lot.  
  
Irvine chuckled and planted a kiss on Selphie's cheek. "Only because she's helping her to get out of class today."  
  
"This is the Cafeteria, where Uncle Zell spends all hours of the day eating the hot dogs." Chloe laughed and Akira did too, feeling butterflies in her stomach as she wondered if Zell knew Seifer too. "Hey Uncle Zell!" Chloe called across the room. Zell sat by himself at a far table. He smiled big and waved his hand in the air for them to join him.  
  
"Hey Chloe," he said kindly. He looked over at Akira and his smile faded immediatly.  
  
"Uncle Zell, this is Akira Almasy. She's new to Garden."  
  
Zell didn't reply at first, then decided he'd better at least be civil for the sake of his free hot dog privledges. "Hi Akira. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand politely and she shook it. "Have a seat you two."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No that's okay. I have to finish giving Akira the grand tour!"  
  
Zell chuckled. "All right. See you later." Chloe once again half-dragged Akira back out of the Cafeteria. "Man does she look like her father..." Zell thought out loud. "It's too bad..."  
  
After exploring the other areas of Garden, Chloe finally announced that this would be the last stop. They stopped in front of the Quad. "This is my mom's absolute favorite place in all of Garden," Chloe told her as they went inside. "She sets up the Garden Festival and this is where it takes place. She gets really psyched about it every year."  
  
"Garden Festival?" Akira echoed. "What's that?"  
  
"Oh it's like a big party that takes place every year. There's different themes each time and my mom's in charge of setting it all up. She's been doing it ever since she was like, my age." Akira nodded. She looked ahead of her and her heartbeat quickened. Standing no more than thirty feet away were two people. One was a woman - a beautiful woman, with raven hair and brown eyes. She wore a long blue dress. The other person was Shiloh.  
  
"Hey Mrs. Leonheart! Hey Shi!" Chloe called as she waved her arm in the air. The both of them turned. Rinoa smiled warmly, but Shiloh immediatly frowned. Chloe led her over to them and Akira wouldn't look Shiloh in the face.  
  
"Hello Chloe. How are you today?" Rinoa asked kindly.  
  
"I'm fine. Getting out of class at least." Rinoa chuckled. "This is Akira Almasy. Akira, this is Rinoa and Shiloh Leonheart. Shi's dad's the commander here, but I'm not exactly sure where he is now..."  
  
Rinoa didn't want Squall to meet Akira quite yet, although she didn't know he'd sort of already did. "Hon, maybe that's not such a good idea. Squall is, um... Well he isn't feeling very well today and I think it would be best if we all let him be." Akira knew the real reason why Rinoa didn't want Chloe to take her to meet Squall. He'd hate her. He already did though, so what would it matter? Everyone hated her, though they'd tried to hide it, but she knew.  
  
Chloe nodded. "Okay. Well maybe later then."  
  
Rinoa glanced at Akira quickly. "Yeah, maybe..." Shiloh remained quiet up until Rinoa scolded him. No one knew that Akira and Shiloh had already met and had been quite close. Neither of them wanted anyone to know. "Shiloh, aren't you going to say hello?"  
  
"Uh, yeah..." Shiloh said. "Hey," he muttered under his breath.  
  
"Hi..."  
  
Akira wanted to be alone with Shiloh, to tell him what exactly was going on and to apologize even. She didn't really have anything to be sorry for, but she still felt something needed to be done. Maybe she'd get the chance later...  
  
Akira was very anxious about her first class of the day. She hoped that no one in there with her would recognize her or her last name. She took a deep breath and opened the door. No one seemed to notice as she walked in and sat in the first empty seat she saw available. She didn't bother looking around at first, but when she did, she saw that her instructor was indeed Quistis, and the person seated next to her was Shiloh.  
  
Well there's the next chapter. Sorry if the character reactions weren't the best, but I figured everyone would at least try to be nice and not totally flip out, at least not in front of the poor girl.


	9. Drops Of Jupiter

Disclaimer: I only own Chloe, Akira, Terra and Shiloh.  
  
A/N: As a response to some of your comments about chapter 8's title, yes I am a fan of Eminem and that's why I chose Cleanin' Out My Closet as it's title. I'm not sure if you've noticed but this fic has all song titles as chapter names. For example, chapter 4 is called My Own Worst Enemy, which some of you should know is the title of a Lit song.   
  
"What are you doing here?" Shiloh asked snobbily.  
  
Akira decided not to submit to his attitude. "I happen to have this class now... Not like it's any of your business." Shiloh rolled his eyes.  
  
"All right, welcome to first period... once again," Quistis said with a smile. A few students chuckled, but most of them agreed that they didn't want to be there either. "First off, I'd like to introduce you to our new student, Akira Almasy." Quistis tried not to hesitate when saying the young girl's name, but she couldn't help the pause. "Now, ahem... Last night's homework assignment was a sheet on safety during multi-opponent battles, was it not? Pass them up to the front." Once again, students groaned in displeasure at the fact that they hadn't done the assignment, but Shiloh just tapped the girl seated in front of him and handed her his paper.  
  
Akira glanced over at him, hoping he'd lose his attitude and warm up to her again. Was it really her father that was bothering him so much? She thought it was a little strange that he was overdramatizing the way he was. He looked over at her. "What?" he asked quietly.  
  
She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Okay Shiloh, what's your problem?"  
  
"Look you think you can just waltz in here and expect people to just welcome you with open arms?" he whispered harshly. "Well sorry, it's not gonna be that way."  
  
Akira's spirit became heavy. She'd never expected him to say anything so heartless, even if it was the way he really felt. She opened her mouth to speak but Quistis cut her off. "Akira, Shiloh. Please quiet down."  
  
"Sorry Instructor Trepe, it won't happen again," Shiloh told her, throwing a glare at the blonde seated next to him. Akira just sighed and turned to face the front of the room.  
  
"Well now that that's settled, I'm going to need to pair you up for the SeeD field exam later in the month." Quistis surveyed the room and nodded. "Well, this seems to be sorted out already... You're seated off in pairs anyway, so whoever you're sitting by is your partner." Most of the students were relieved, because they had picked to sit by their friends anyway, but Shiloh looked disappointed.  
  
"Instructor Trepe, can we pair off some other way?" he asked.  
  
"Hey!" Akira cried.  
  
Quistis gave him a disatisifed look. "Mr. Leonhart, are you going to be uncooperative for me?"  
  
"But she's -- "  
  
"Not buts. Akira Almasy is your partner and that's all there is to it. Like it or not, I'm not going through any excess trouble when you're all paired off so easily because of the seating arrangement." Shiloh sighed and said nothing more.  
  
Akira glanced up at Quistis, who winked at her without Shiloh seeing. Was she really sticking up for her? She couldn't believe it; everyone else had pretty much been arrogant to her. Quistis turned and went back up to her desk.  
  
Akira was heading out the door at the end of class, but Quistis called for her to come to her desk. "What is it?"  
  
"Akira, I know that Shiloh is giving you a hard time, as well as some other people too. I just want you to know that it's not your fault they're acting this way, and they really have nothing against you, it's just... Your father did some pretty awful things to this Garden and the people here. People are just taking it out on you for very stupid reasons."  
  
"Yeah, I've... I've noticed..."  
  
"And I want you to know that I'll help you out in anyway I can to make you feel more comfortable, all right?" Quistis smiled.  
  
"Look, um... You don't have to do that. I know you're just treating me like this because of you and my dad, so... I'll be okay without you." And she left.  
  
"Akira, wait!"  
  
"Akira?" She recognized the voice well. It was Shiloh.  
  
"What do you want?" She was seated in her dorm and she'd left the door open.  
  
"I wanna apologize for before," he said as he entered the room and sat down next to her. "I didn't mean to be so... mean to you. But it's really hard to look at you and not see the person my dad taught me to hate my entire life."  
  
"I understand I guess... And I promise you, I'm nothing like he used to be. I'll try as hard as I can to prove that to you, and everyone else here as well. Just... give me a chance all right?"  
  
He smiled warmly and nodded. "All right, I'll remember that. And... I'm glad that I got stuck with you as my field exam partner and not some idiot."  
  
She laughed. "Really? Then I guess that means I'm not an idiot?"  
  
He nodded and stood. "No, you're... you're definitely not an idiot Akira. Well, I'd better go. I have to help my dad out in his office. I'll see you later on maybe?"  
  
"Yeah, okay. See ya." After he left, Akira couldn't help the grin that appeared across her face.  
  
The next morning, a group of girls came walking Akira's way, smirking deviously. "So you're the new girl, huh?"  
  
Akira didn't feel like talking to anyone right then. Especially these three girls who looked like they had way too much makeup on and even more of a bad attitude. "Oh, uh... yeah. I'm Akira."  
  
The three girls glanced at each other, suspicious grins crossing their lips. "Akira what?"  
  
Akira sighed and brushed past them. "Nevermind. I don't need this kinda crap."  
  
"Like father like daughter," she heard one of them say from behind her. Akira stopped walking and shut her eyes. The girls giggled and gave each other high fives. She spun around to face them.  
  
"You know, I've had to put up with enough of this already!" she exclaimed.  
  
The girls weren't moved by her sudden outburst. "Ooh, she's turning into her daddy, ladies." They all laughed at the girl's comment. That's when Akira make a lunge for her. She brought back her fist and let it land right in the girl's eye, who seemed to be like the "leader" of the little group.  
  
They all gasped as the girl held a hand over her eye, which was already beginning to change colors. "See? I told you she's just like Seifer."  
  
"What a bitch," the second girl commented as she stared at Akira.  
  
A guard who had seen everything came over and grabbed Akira's arm. "You're coming with me. Vessa, go to the Infirmary immediatly."  
  
Vessa, still holding her eye, smirked at Akira. "Will do, sir." Akira shut her eyes and let out a sigh.  
  
"Your first day here and already you're starting trouble. Do you think you can just come here and do things like this?" the guard asked her as they walked towards the elevator.  
  
"Sir, it really wasn't my fault. She -- "  
  
"I saw everything Miss Almasy, there's really no need to try and talk your way out of trouble. The headmaster will be furious with you." Akira didn't say anything else. She was too embarassed, but she was more scared than anything. Her punishment would surely be far worse than anyone else's, simply because it was her. It wasn't fair.  
  
"Akira... Why did you hit Vessa?" Headmaster Cid spoke more calmly than she'd expected and she had to wonder why.  
  
Akira's eyes began welling up with tears, which shocked Cid. He knew it was stupid to be surprised - she was only a child, but he had to feel somewhat surprised that an Almasy was actually tearing up the way she was. "Sir, I really didn't mean to. But she was saying stuff about Dad and... I couldn't help it." Tears were now rolling down her cheeks, although she hadn't wanted them to.  
  
Cid sighed and removed his glasses. "I feared this would happen... Listen, I'm not going to punish you, but don't let it happen again. I'll have a talk with Vessa if that will make things right again."  
  
Akira nodded. "Okay. Thank you sir." She smiled and for the first time, he smiled back.  
  
"You may go now. Hopefully the next time I see you it will be under different circumstances."  
  
"I can promise you, it will be."  
  
As Akira exited the elevator, Shiloh was there to greet her. "Why did you do that to Vessa?" he asked immediatly. Akira suddenly remembered her promise to Shiloh and immediatly tried to explain herself.  
  
"Shiloh, just listen. She was saying all kinds of awful things about me and my dad, so I -- "  
  
"So you broke your promise to me and wailed on her, right or wrong?" he asked dryly.  
  
"Wrong! You're completely wrong Shiloh! It wasn't even like I meant to hit her, I just... I couldn't help it..." She saw by the look on Shiloh's face that he wasn't buying the story, even though it was the truth. "Shiloh..."  
  
"You know, I thought you were different. I didn't think you'd lie to me like that, but you did. You're just like Seifer, but you promised me otherwise. I should've known you'd go and stab me in the back. You're an Almasy after all."  
  
Tears fell from her eyes as she walked him walk away. She was just about ready to leave as well when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Quistis. "I saw the whole thing, honey." Akira put her arms around the woman and cried into her shoulder. "It's okay Akira. He's just blind."  
  
"It isn't fair," Akira told her between sobs. "It just isn't fair..."  
  
"I wish there was something I could do..." Quistis told her. "And I'm not just saying that because of your father." She felt she needed to add that because of what Akira had assumed before.  
  
"You mean you really want to help me and not because of him?" She let go of Quistis and wiped her emerald eyes, an exact replica of Seifer's.  
  
"Of course. I hate it when things like this happen to students here. And the problem is, you can't control who you are inside. Of course you're going to look and act like Seifer Almasy. You're his daughter."  
  
"Well right about now I wish he wasn't."  
  
"You can't think like that now. It's not right. He's your father. He gave life to you and you have every single right to love him. Hyne knows I do..."  
  
"You... You love him?"  
  
Quistis hesitated. "Yes, and I always have. When he left Garden I felt like a part of me went with him, but he never knew that. In fact, I don't think he even gave me a second thought. I was too proper and sophisticated for him, no offense." They both laughed a little.  
  
"But that's where you're wrong," Akira told her. "He likes you a lot. Believe me, I know."  
  
"Akira what about your mother? Nothing can ever happen between your father and I."  
  
Akira frowned and looked down at her feet. "I really don't... have a mother."  
  
Quistis furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Mom and Dad were never really together. They spent one night together and that's when I was born, but they had completely lost touch. My mom Terra just left me with Dad when I was three weeks old. I never saw her again, but on my eighteenth birthday, she called our house. But that's the only time I ever talked to her, and it wasn't even that long. Dad wouldn't let me talk to her after he found out it was her." Quistis put a hand over her mouth, which was opened in pure shock. "So I basically grew up without a mother."  
  
"I'm very sorry Akira," was all Quistis could manage to say.  
  
Akira shook her head. "Nah, it's okay. Seifer's a great dad. He didn't need her help anyway."  
  
Quistis smiled. She still couldn't help but feel bad for him. Seifer Almasy had to raise his daughter by himself? That had to have been extremely difficult. She hated to think it, but she'd never really seen a nurturing side to him in all the years she'd known him. Apparently though, many things had changed about him.  
  
Well there's chapter 9. You like? I tried to put drama in it, I really did, so I hope there's at least a small amount in there to keep you satisfied. Buh- bye!


	10. What It's Like To Be Me

Disclaimer: I only own Terra, Chloe, Shiloh and Akira. Oh, and this fic idea too. ^-^  
  
A/N: I'm sooo sorry for my laziness. I just hope none of you hate me because of it... But the good news is that I'm only one review away from hitting the 100 mark! This is the first fic I ever did that had this many reviews and I thank you all for it!  
  
A/N 2: Quistis, I'm sorry for making Akira OOC the way I did. In this chapter, I'll make her more of an Almasy, 'kay? ^-^ FloralBlackMoon, I brought Squall into this chapter as you suggested, and I'm sorry about the mushiness between Quistis and Akira, it can't be helped. But as for Seifer... I'm not sure how to bring him back yet, so if you have ideas, lemme know! lestatsdarkrose, sorry, but this is gonna be a Seiftis/Quiefer. I don't like that pairing too much myself, but it somehow fits, especially because of the idea I have for later on. acoles, I don't think it's stupid to be inches from tears! It just lets me know that my writing is that good! So thanks!  
  
  
  
Shiloh sat in his dorm, cleaning the precious weapon he'd been given by his father. He always did that when he was angry. It sort of helped him to relax. He was so angry with Akira. How could she go and break a promise within hours of making it? Maybe his father was right about her. When he'd first met her, he felt unlike anything he'd ever experienced in his entire life. When he found out she was Seifer Almasy's daughter, the man he'd been taught to despise ever since he could remember, everything totally changed. His feelings for her included. He didn't want to feel the way he did about her, but he couldn't help it. The things Squall had told him about Seifer only infuriated him, and everytime he saw Akira, he saw Seifer.  
  
"Honey?" came his mother's voice from the doorway. He glanced over at her, seeing a gleam of concern in her chocolate colored eyes. Then he returned his gaze to the gunblade in his lap. "What's the matter sweetheart? I know something's bothering you."  
  
"It's nothing, Mom. Trust me."  
  
"Shiloh, don't pull a Squall on me. Tell me what's wrong." Rinoa smiled a bit, but Shiloh's expression didn't change.  
  
"I told you, it's nothing."  
  
"Well there's an 'it', isn't there?"  
  
"Mom, please. I just wanna be left alone."  
  
Rinoa sighed, inwardly cursing Squall for having given their son his genes. "Well if you ever *do* wanna talk to me about it, you know where to find me, all right?" Shiloh sighed, yet remained quiet as Rinoa kissed his forehead and left the dorm.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Akira was hurrying down the hall. She promised she'd meet Chloe for lunch at noon, and she was already ten minutes late. She hated doing that, especially to people she'd just met. It made her look bad, and everyone already had sour opinions of her the way it was. She didn't want to put salt on the wound.  
  
As she rounded the corner, she ran head-on into someone a lot taller than her. She didn't look at right away, as she was busy clamping her teeth due to the pain in her pelvic bone. She stood up and looked in front of her, only to see Squall glaring at her from the floor.  
  
"Oh man, I am *so* sorry, sir," she said immediatly. She held out her hand to help him up but he completely ignored it. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine," he snapped. "But I've been meaning to speak with you."  
  
She held her breath. "What is it?"  
  
"Don't you dare think you can come here and stir up trouble. I heard about what happened yesterday with Vessa. I just can't believe the headmaster went so easy on you." Squall had dissapointment and contempt dripping from his voice.  
  
Akira scoffed, although she hadn't meant to. "But she started with me!" she exclaimed.  
  
Squall was taken aback. He thought he'd had her with her tail between her legs, but apparently he'd been wrong. "Don't take that tone with me," he said, still rather calmly, but yet with an authoritive tone.  
  
"You only hate me because of my dad," she said scornfully.  
  
Squall's icy eyes only narrowed. He saw the fire burning inside her emerlad orbs that he had only ever seen in one individual: Seifer Almasy. "No. I feel the way I do because you're *acting* like him."  
  
Akira crossed her arms defiantly. "Well, if you think you can just push me around when I never did one thing to you, you're crazy."  
  
Squall was about to open his mouth and respond, but Quistis came up behind Akira. She put her hands on the girl's tense shoulders and gave Squall a cold glare. "What are you doing Squall?" She didn't even need to really ask. She could see what was going on; it was written all over his still handsome face.  
  
"This has nothing to do with you Quistis," he told her. Akira was surprised Squall talked with an attitude even to Quistis.  
  
"Squall, please. Don't be like this," Quistis told him gently. Squall let out a loud sigh and shook his head. He eventually turned around and retreated. Quistis turned Akira around to face her. "Are you all right sweetheart?"  
  
Akira roughly shook off Quistis's gentle grasp on her shoulders. "I don't need your help. I can take care of myself just fine," she snapped.  
  
Quistis almost rolled her eyes, thinking for only a split second that it was Seifer she was standing in front of. "You really are just like him. On the inside and the outside."  
  
Akira couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Well maybe I don't wanna be just like him! Maybe I don't wanna be Akira Almasy anymore! I don't wanna *look* like him! I don't wanna *act* like him! I don't wanna remind anyone of him anymore!!" Her shouts caused people to stare, but she didn't care. She didn't care what they did or thought at the moment. All she knew was she was an Almasy, and she absolutely hated it.  
  
Quistis grabbed her shoulders again, this time harder than before. She made her look into her eyes. "But you do. You remind *me* of him. And that is not a bad thing, Akira. I want you to remind me of him, because I love him. Don't let what anyone says about you stop you from being who you really are."  
  
"So basically, you're only acting like this because I remind you so much of him? There's a shocker..." she said sarcastically.  
  
"No! That's not it at all."  
  
"And even if I do remind you of him, that's no good. Apparently he was the most hated guy that ever went here."  
  
"Everyone else is seeing the Seifer that went against Garden and joined up with Galbadia in you. But I see the misunderstood Seifer that no one else saw. I see the Seifer that was a good man. I see the same fire in your eyes when you get angry. I see the same attitude that the both of you have. I see your determination to fit in, even though you don't want anyone else to know it. The both of you have the exact same face. And your smile? That's how I know you're his daughter."  
  
Akira found herself smiling at Quistis's words. "Well, at least I know one person here who doesn't completely hate me..."  
  
"Just give it time. You'll see. Everything will fall into place with time." And Quistis left.  
  
Akira sighed. That was another thing she had in common with Seifer. Neither of them had a lot of patience...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Akira saw Shiloh standing across the main hall, talking with Chloe. At first she hoped neither of them saw her, but then remembered what Quistis told her earlier that day - not to be afraid of who she was. She was going to actually *try* to be more like Seifer, but yet still not get herself into any messes to prove that she wasn't *exactly* like him. Then maybe more people would accept her. She walked right over to the two teens and smiled over at them. "Hey," she said.  
  
"Hi Akira!" Chloe said cheerily. "I haven't seen you a lot today. What's up?"  
  
Despite Shiloh's cold glare, she remained collected. "Nothing really. Shiloh, we still have to train for our exam together, or did you forget?" she said with an almost mocking tone.  
  
Shiloh rolled his eyes and Chloe shot him a funny look, but didn't say anything. "How about some other time, okay?" he asked her rudely.  
  
"How 'bout not?" she said, taking a step closer to him and looking directly into his eyes. "There really isn't a lot of time left Shiloh. We have to train *sometime*."  
  
"She's right, Shi," Chloe told him as she nodded knowingly. "Me and River already started training this morning. Four weeks isn't really a long time, you know."  
  
"Whatever," came Shiloh's response as he headed for the Training Center. Akira turned and followed behind him, telling Chloe a quick goodbye.  
  
"There's only Grats and occasional T-Rexaurs in here. You know that right?" Akira asked.  
  
"Yeah, but maybe if we stay there long enough it'll be enough experience to last us a little while."  
  
"Good logic," she told him with a roll of her eyes. Now, she wasn't even trying to be cocky like her father was. It sort of just came naturally. She just didn't know if that was good or bad.  
  
"Besides, it's starting to get dark out. You don't wanna go out into the wilderness *now* do you?"  
  
"You're only saying that because you're chicken," she told him, smiling slyly.  
  
"Yeah right," was the only reply she got.  
  
"Fine then." She stopped walking. "Prove it."  
  
Shiloh stopped walking as well and placed a hand on his hip as he held his gunblade in the other. "Will you knock it off? You know all too well that it's dangerous out there at night. Especially with all the monsters that hang out near Garden."  
  
"So basically... you're scared."  
  
"I'm *not* scared," he told her.  
  
"Yeah, yeah..."  
  
"All right, fine. Let's go. We'll see just how chicken I am."  
  
  
  
Well there's chapter 10! I already know what's gonna happen in the next chapter, maybe even the next 2. It's gonna get pretty exciting so stay tuned! 


	11. Rock The Boat

Disclaimer: Oh come on, you should know this by now. If you don't, check the other chapters. ^_~  
  
A/N: Yay! Over 100 reviews at last! ^___^ I'm so happy and proud! Thank you everyone for all the reviews once again, and I hope to see more in the future!  
  
A/N 2: Thanx so much to Quistis Trepe, FloralBlackMoon, Megs, and Vamp Queen for inspiring this chapter with their great ideas!  
  
  
  
The air was thick and heavy with humidity, and the sweat was just pouring off of the two teens as they silently stalked through the grassy field. None of them spoke to each other once since they'd left Garden, but each one was longing to. Akira gave Shiloh a sidelong glance, trying not to let him see she was doing so. She couldn't help but feel safe and protected with him, despite the fact that he'd probably let her get ripped apart before helping her, just because of who she was.  
  
Shiloh glanced over at her and she took her eyes off of him, resting her gaze on the horizon in front of them. The sun was almost completely set, and curfew was a little over an hour after the sunset. It wasn't a very long time to get much practice, but at least it was a start. She tried to pay attention to what they would do with the time they had, but she couldn't help but feel the heaviness of Shiloh's gaze still upon her. She turned her head slowly, her view of him almost completely blocked by the blonde locks that had fallen into her eyes. "What?" she asked rather rudely.  
  
He shook his head, obviously disgusted. "Nothing. It's just... Forget it."  
  
"Look Shiloh, if you have something to say, then say it. Don't just walk around all silent and mysterious and expect me to read your mind and know what's pissing you off. It's kinda annoying actually..."  
  
Shiloh was just about to open his mouth and respond, when he saw a looming figure out in the distance. He shielded his eyes in the still-bright sun. "What's that thing?"  
  
Akira squinted into the distance. She'd never seen anything that huge in her entire life. Either way, she saw it as the perfect opprutunity to show Shiloh what exactly Akira Almasy was really made of. "Well, whatever it is... it's toast."  
  
She drew Hyperion and began creeping out into the direction of the creature when Shiloh's voice rang out behind her. "Akira, are you crazy?! That thing's about a million times the size of a T-Rexaur! We can't take it with just the two of us!"  
  
"Ah yes, Shiloh Leonhart, the voice of reason," she said with a laugh. She shook her head.  
  
"More like the voice of common sense," he snarled.  
  
She narrowed her green eyes slightly. "Was that supposed to be an insult?"  
  
"Think what you want." She scoffed. "Now come on, let's go back to Garden."  
  
"You wanna go back already? But we just got here!"  
  
Shiloh turned and looked her square in the eyes. "So you'd rather stay out here with that... that thing? Fine, go get yourself killed. I don't care."  
  
Akira took his words seriously and headed in the direction of likely danger, rather than following Shiloh who was veering towards Garden. He kept walking, even though he knew Akira wasn't following him. As he continued though, it became harder for him to go much further, knowing she was in danger. He turned back around, not knowing exactly why he did so, and jogged up to walk beside her.  
  
"Oh, so you're coming with me?" she asked rudely.  
  
"You can't take that thing alone. Besides, if it killed you, *I'm* the one who'd be in trouble." She only smirked in reply.  
  
Up close, the creature was at least three times the size of a T-Rexaur. It looked like a bear and a dragon cross, if it was even possible to imagine. It moved rather slowly, only building up Akira's confidence more. "It's slower than molasses, we can down it easy."  
  
Shiloh didn't respond. He drew his gunblade and a battle began as the creature spotted the pair closing in on it. It reared up and pounded it's fore-paws on the ground, causing a tremor to ripple towards them. The earth shook, crumbled and split beneath their feet, and both of them landed had on their backs as the dust swept up and blinded them temporarily.  
  
"You okay?" Akira heard Shiloh ask.  
  
She stood up, although it was hard to remain steady with the constant quaking. "Since when did you care if I'm okay?" she called back, only half- serious.  
  
The creature appeared from through the thick debris and Akira took her turn at slashing it. It roared in pain and she gave a triumphant yell. Shiloh smiled the smallest bit and shook his head. He as well attacked the creature. It doubled back and Akira glanced over at him. "Nice." She readied a Blizzara spell and cast it on the creature, doing a nice amount of damage, as it was already beginning to back away from them. Shiloh sent a Thunder spell at it. It's face now showed pain as well as fear, and it quickly escaped the fight. "What a wuss..." Akira commented. "For something that big, you think it would've put up more of a fight."  
  
The sky was now pitch black, and you could barely see your hands in front of your face anymore. "I think we'd better head back though. I don't want to miss curfew." Shiloh put his weapon away and began walking towards Garden.  
  
All of a sudden, a shadow fell upon them. It was hard to tell, but the area right around them had suddenly become darker. They gazed up to see the creature hovering above them. It had sprouted long, bird-like wings.  
  
"What the...?" Akira didn't get the chance to finish her thoughts as the creature swooped down, attempting to lift them in it's back feet. Shiloh grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, the creature flying after them the whole way. It was much faster with it's wings than it was on it's feet, they found out.  
  
"C'mon, c'mon! Hurry up!" Shiloh shouted to her.  
  
"Will you let go?! Why don't we just stay here and fight? We'll get rid of it easier than just running from it!"  
  
All of a sudden, they were consumed in a blast of heat and energy. The creature had used some kind of magic on them and they were thrown in opposite directions. The creature then landed inbetween them, letting out an ear-shattering screech.  
  
Akira looked down at her body. Burns covered her arms and legs, and blood pourd out a large wound on her hip from where she'd just landed. She tried to find Shiloh, but the creature was blocking her view. "Hey Shiloh, you all right?" No answer. "Shiloh!" Still no response.  
  
Suddenly, the creature let out a second screech, but this time, it fell to the ground as well. "But how...?" She looked out in front of her to see Shiloh had killed it, quite easily actually.  
  
"I've had my share of training already."  
  
At first, she was about to compliment him on his skills, but she held her tongue, feeling better if she used sarcasm. "I could've done that."  
  
"Now do you think we should head back?" he asked sounding slightly annoyed.  
  
She stood up and brushed the dirt off of her flared jeans. "Fine. We'll go back."  
  
As they walked back to the luminously lit structure, Shiloh spoke up. "You know... you were pretty klutzy back there."  
  
Akira looked at him. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You kept telling me that you were this awesome fighter, or at least that's the way you acted. A lot of the attacking you did was really shaky. I'm surprised you hit it at all."  
  
"You're surprised?? Well geez Shiloh, do you really think I'd miss something as big as a house?"  
  
"Hey, all I'm saying is -- "  
  
"All your saying is my fighting skills suck!" She redrew her gunblade and Shiloh gave her a funny look. "Comeon, we'll have a one-on-one and I'll show you what fighting's really all about."  
  
"Akira, come on. That's so stupid."  
  
"You're just afraid I'll beat you."  
  
"No way!" He drew his gunblade as well and the two of them immediatly went at it. Their gunblades meeting in the space between them, screeching sounds filling the night air as the metal slammed up against each other. Their eyes desperately locked on one another's, trying to figure out what they would do next and try to disrupt it.  
  
Akira took a swing at Shiloh's left leg, but he placed his gunblade there and blocked it. She growled as she realized she'd given too many body signs that she was about to do that, making it easy for him to stop.  
  
Shiloh wasn't used to her dirty fighting, as she'd learned everything she knew from her father. He was clumsy with his swings and a few of the blocks, because as their battle went on, Akira's movements were simply one blind swing after the other. She was moving so fast and doing so many different things simultaneously, it was getting hard to keep up with her.  
  
Soon, he saw an opening in which he could strike. He slashed her arm roughly, and she backed up in surprise, holding her wound. Her eyes burning with anger, she sent a Fire spell at his torso and he fell back onto his rear. She came up and stood over him slowly, smirking down at him. She raised Hyperion and brought it down onto the bridge of Shiloh's nose, creating a deep diagonal slice.  
  
As the blood fell from the fresh wound, Shiloh swung his gunblade back, trying to do the same thing to her. She was too quick for him though; she blocked his strike.  
  
All of a sudden, Squall came charging through the grass towards them. He took one look at the scene before him and was appalled. It sent a chill down his spine. It looked exactly like what had happened between him and Seifer years and years ago. Only this time, Akira hadn't recieved a scar back.  
  
Squall knelt down beside his son. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah Dad... I'm fine." He sounded angry, but more so embarassed.  
  
Akira bravely spoke up, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. "How did you know we were here?"  
  
"Chloe said you two were going to train. When I looked in the Training Center and didn't find you, I figured you must've come outside. But you know better than to leave Garden after dark, Shiloh. Why did you?"  
  
Shiloh glanced over at Akira, but didn't say anything. "Sir, um... I'm the one who made him come out here. He told me it was dangerous, but... I didn't listen."  
  
Squall looked over at her, narrowing his icy blue eyes. "I'm going to see to it personally that you're thrown out of Garden. I thought maybe you'd turn out to be different. Because of Quistis I thought maybe I could learn to trust you. But you're nothing short of an Almasy. I should've known you'd stab someone in the back. I just didn't think it would be me this time."  
  
"Look, it was an accident! I didn't mean to really hurt him!" Akira said defensively.  
  
Squall took the gunblade lying at Shiloh's side, unbeknownst to Akira. "Well you did. And you know what, this is exactly what happened between me and your father when we were younger. It's haunting to have to see it again. But there's one thing that's missing."  
  
"What?" Akira asked hesitantly.  
  
"Your scar." Squall swung hard and made a connection with the young girl's face. He created a cut along the bridge of her nose as well, one that would scar as well.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Akira and Shiloh sat in Headmaster Cid's office, along with Squall. They were waiting for Seifer to arrive as well. "I don't understand," Headmaster Cid began. "How can the blood running through your veins be so important that you'd cause harm to each other this way?"  
  
Akira didn't say anything, though she wanted to very much. Shiloh had only recieved a scar like Squall's out of the ordeal. Akira got one that matched her father's, but her eyes were black as well. Squall had more muscle than she did, and when he'd slashed her, he'd broken her nose too.  
  
The doors at the other end of the room opened, and Seifer came in quietly. He looked around at the solemn faces. Squall looked miserable, as usual, and a young boy sat beside him, the carbon copy of Squall. Seifer knew that this boy was Squall's son, it wasn't hard to tell. Then he saw his daughter. Her face had lost that glow it once held. Her eyes were blackened, and he saw the scar on her face, causing his stomach to tighten. He somehow already knew what had happened.  
  
"Seifer, please sit down." Headmaster Cid's voice was full of concern. "This simply cannot go on. I cannot have such rough-housing going on in Garden."  
  
"Sir, can you please tell me what went on?" Seifer asked, hoping no one thought it was rude that he was interuppting.  
  
"Oh, of course. Well, your daughter and Squall's son went out after dark to train. Somehow, on their way back, they got into quite a brawl. Things got out of hand, and the result is this. Two teens with scars to match their fathers'."  
  
Seifer gave Akira a disapprovingly glance, and she let her gaze fall to the floor.  
  
"But it is not entirely their fault," Cid continued. "I also blame the two of you. Putting such ideas into their heads such as this... It's ridiculous. Even after all these years, the two of you still can't learn to at least be civil? You've brought your children up to hate each other simply because you hate each other. It isn't right, and I won't have it.  
  
"I need time to make a decision about you. I'll let you know when I do. You're all dismissed."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Akira and Seifer sat in her dorm. Akira had been unusually quiet, and Seifer was nagging unusually. "I can't believe this Akira. I never expected you to start trouble this way. Especially with Puberty Boy's kid..."  
  
Akira giggled. "Excuse me? Puberty Boy? Is that what you call Squall?"  
  
Seifer smiled a little. "Yeah... Long story. But don't change the subject, okay? What on earth made you go medevil on him?"  
  
"He was... Well..." She sighed. "He was making fun of me, and... I couldn't help it."  
  
Seifer ran a hand through his spikey blonde hair. "Out of all the things you could've gotten from me... it had to be my temper."  
  
"Genetics suck," Akira said with a smile.  
  
"Ha, tell me about it honey," Seifer replied, a smile creeping it's way to his lips.  
  
  
  
There's another chapter done. Hope you liked it. It's pretty long, and pretty exciting... at least I think it is. So don't forget to review, okay? Suggestions? Lemme know!! And also, ya weren't expecting to have SQUALL be the one to give Akira the scar, were ya? Haha, I'm tricky, ain't I? ^_~ 


	12. Only God Knows Why

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FF8 characters, but I do own the characters I made up. Do I really have to go through the whole list again? No? Okay good. beam  
  
A/N: School started on Wednesday for me, ugh. But I'm lucky, most people were already in school when I just started! Ha! So the lack of a recent update is because of my pure laziness and of course school. But now that it's finally the weekend, I decided to stop being lazy since there's no homework or anything, and work on my #1 fic! Enjoy!  
  
A/N 2: This chapter will clear something up that I'm sure all of you are wondering about, and even mentioned in your reviews. Why didn't Squall get in trouble for what he did? Well no one told anyone about it right? Everything comes out now...  
  
Akira lied in the bed in her quiet, still dorm - asleep. Her sides expanded as she took deep, steady breaths. A soft breeze from the cracked window rustled her golden locks and she curled up tighter due to the sudden change in temperature. The cut on the bridge of her nose was beginning to lighten; it was already healing. At the rate it was going, it wouldn't be long before it could simply be hidden with a little makeup. The darkness around her eyes still remained though, and it would for a few days. Soon though, she'd look as if nothing had ever happened to her.  
  
Seifer sat at the edge of the bed, watching his daughter sleep. She was beautiful. He loved her more than life itself; he'd gladly give his existance for her. He just wished peopel could see her as he saw her. He hated to think of anyone harming his daughter, his pride and joy. A strange, sudden sadness fell upon him as he reached out and pulled the soft cotton blanket up over her shoulders. She stirred as he did, and opened her eyes, blinking and rubbing them before speaking. "What time is it?"  
  
Seifer glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. "Seven-thrity," he told her, "at night."  
  
She woke up almost completely now. "I slept all day!?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Hey there's nothing wrong with that. You've had a... rough day."  
  
Akira touched a finger to her wound, wincing a bit, as she was still sore. Then she placed a hand under each of her bruised eyes, massaging them gently, being careful not to push too hard or she'd go through the roof.  
  
Seifer shook his head. "I still can't believe that kid did this to you..."  
  
Akira removed her hands from her face and looked at her father strangely. "Dad, Shiloh didn't do this."  
  
Now it was Seifer's turn to give Akira a strange look. "Then who did?"  
  
Akira hesitated. "It was Squall," she muttered.  
  
Seifer rose from his seat at the edge of the bed in a fit. "What!?"  
  
"I'm the one who hit Shiloh first, and then Squall came. When he saw what I did, he got upset. But I think he was more upset about the fact that what we were doing reminded him of an encounter the two of you had. And that's when he did this."  
  
"That's it!" Seifer left the room hastily in search of 'Mr. Commander.'  
  
Squall was walking down the hallway towards the Quad to meet Selphie and Irvine. The Garden Festival was only a week away, and there were many small jobs here and there to be done before everything was ready. Selphie, of course, was extremely excited about the entire ordeal. She'd loved parties and celebrations for as long as Squall could remember. Irvine wasn't as intrigued by the Festival, but he supported his wife in every way. Even if that meant he had to cut back on the time he and Selphie spent alone, or the times he'd spend with Chloe. In fact, he hadn't even had the chance to ask Chloe how her training was going for the field exam. It was already less than a month away, and time, as he well knew, flies.  
  
A second set of footsteps sounded from behind him. They were heavy and fast-paced, and as he turned to see who they belonged to, his eyes narrowed as he saw Seifer approaching him. He stopped walking and Seifer came up to him, staring him straight in the face. "I wanna talk to you."  
  
Squall kept his eyes cold and stared into Seifer's eyes. "Well don't waste too much of my time. I'm sort of busy right now."  
  
Seifer was taken aback. The Squall he used to know would've pulled back and remained quiet. Now, he had an attitude similar to his own. The man standing in front of him was someone he didn't recognize. Squall had changed, and definitely not for the better. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry I disruppted your busy schedule, but I think I deserve an explanation for why you did that to my child!"  
  
Squall looked surprised. He hadn't even thought that this was what Seifer would want to confront him about. "She deserved it. In case you forgot, she hurt my son as well." Squall's voice rose to challenge Seifer's, as if he were trying to intimidate him.  
  
"But Squall, you're a thirty-five year old man! She's an eighteen year old little girl! Don't you think you could've seriously hurt her!? How do you think that makes me feel knowing you did that!?" Squall didn't show it, but he felt incredibly shocked by Seifer's behavior. Seifer had a nurturing, fatherly side to him? No, that wasn't possible. This was Seifer Almasy he was talking about. He turned and began heading in the direction he had been going previously. "Don't you dare walk away from me Squall. I don't know what your problem is, but you've changed. You've really changed. The Squall I know wouldn't have been so stupid as to physically injure someone like this. Now I know we aren't exactly friends... hell, we aren't even acquaintances, but I never thought you'd do something like this."  
  
Squall had slowed down his pace to be able to hear what Seifer was saying, but he didn't stop anymore. That's when Seifer decided he'd had enough. He chased after him and pulled back his fist, hitting Squall square in the back, causing him to fly forward and land roughly on his knees. A sharp pain ran up and down his spine. He rolled over onto his back and stood, punching Seifer in the face. Soon, a fight had broken out between them.  
  
Akira stood at the opposite end of the hall, where neither of the men could see her. Her emerald eyes were glosses over, but she blinked quickly to dry them again. The last thing she wanted to do was cry. She was an Almasy; Almasys weren't supposed to cry. What she didn't know though, was that Shiloh was standing right behind her, watching her as she watched the horrid scene in front of her. How could they hate each other so much? How could anyone hate anybody so much? Even after all that had happened, she still didn't hate shiloh, or even Squall. All of a sudden, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned and was a little surprised to see Shiloh standing there, his gaze resting on her almost gently. He stepped in front of her and began walking towards the brawl and gave a shout. It stopped immediatly. "Just... don't..."  
  
Akira jogged up and stood beside him, staring straight into her father's eyes. "This has to stop."  
  
"It's pretty bad when two teenagers have more sense than two adults twice their age," Shiloh said with a hint of contempt in his voice.  
  
"This has nothing to do with you," Squall said. "This is between me and Seifer."  
  
"That's where you're wrong," Akira said, taking a step towards the russet haired man. "The only reason the two of you are fighting right now is because of me. You don't want me to be here because this man right here is my father. You think that if I wanna come here, I can't act like him. You don't want me to look like him either. You don't want me to do anything that reminds you of Seifer Almasy. Well you know what? I can't help that. I'm his daughter, so of course I'm gonna look and act like him. He's my flesh and blood for Hyne's sake! What do you expect!?"  
  
Seifer tried to calm her down. "'Kira honey..."  
  
She turned to him, her eyes buringing wildly. "No! This isn't fair Dad! I'm sick and tired of being hated and treated like this! Aren't you?"  
  
Seifer didn't respond. But Squall did. "You're right."  
  
She turned back to face him slowly. "What?"  
  
Squall ran a hand through his hair nervously. "You're right. This isn't fair. I'm not fair." Seifer's jaw almost literally dropped, but Akira showed her shock obviously. Her eyes were widened and her mouth was slightly ajar. "None of this should've ever happened. Your father and I may not enjoy each other's company, but I had no right to take those feelings out on you. I'm... sorry."  
  
"Uh... I... I don't know what to say..." Akira stumbled over her tongue. "But I guess I should thank you." Squall gave her a nod and a small smile. Seifer smiled over at his daughter proudly.  
  
Akira stood on the balcony, looking up at the night sky that was splattered with beautiful, twinkling stars. It was like a huge velvet blanket over her, with tiny diamonds scattered about it. She wasn't able to sleep. She was still reeling about finally being accepted. She was just so happy now. Everything was finally becoming right again. She let out a contented sigh and smiled to herself. That's when she heard the footsteps from behind her.  
  
Who's behind her? Guess you'll just have to wait and see! Cliffhangers, how I love them! ;) But I'll bet you're hating them right now. But don't worry, this fic might get another update within 24 hours. But right now, it's after midnight where I live, so when I wake up, I'll start writing for all ya'll. I already have the next chapter planned. I have the ending planned too, but that's another story. And for those of you awaiting more Shiloh/Akira romance, then you'll love the next chapter. One more thing, expect a big surprise soon. If you can guess what THAT is, I'll give ya a cookie. ;) It's rather difficult to guess, but maybe someone can do it?


	13. Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Disclaimer: sigh I don't own the characters from FF8, I only own the characters I made up. Also, I don't own either of the songs in this chapter. There...  
  
A/N: Told ya this update wouldn't take too long! I've been in sort of a rut with this fic for the past week I guess, but now I'm back into it again. Lucky for you, huh? But anyway, thanx to all who have been reviewing. You're the ones who are making thisstory happen, because if it weren't for people liking it so much, I prolly never would've gotten very far with it. And to those people who noticed that on two occasions, the scenes in this fic reminded you of scenes from the movie The Lion King, hehe... well you would be correct. I'm a Disney-lover at heart, so those connections you saw weren't flukes. In the last chapter, when Squall was walking away from Seifer, I was gonna have Seifer say, "Don't turn your back on me Squall" and then I was gonna have Squall say, "No Seifer, its you who shouldn't turn your back on me." But that would be waaay too obvious, so I changed it a bit. Just pointing that out, lol. Btw, thanks to marsbar15 for her suggestion! Eeee! Mushy romance! Ain't it great?? Also to Vamp Queen, no the surprise doesn't involve Seifer and Quistis. Seifer is involved, but not Quisty. Who else? You'll have to wait and see...  
  
The footsteps stopped, waiting for her to turn around before moving any closer to her. She did, slowly, and wasn't very surprised to see Shiloh standing there. He smiled at her, and she did the same, but no words were said. She turned back to the sky just as she'd been doing before. He took a deep breath and walked to her side, leaning on the banister as she was, following her gaze and trying to see what it was that was mesmerizing her so much. All he saw was the ocean, and of course, the starry night sky. Could that be it? Girls... "What are you doing here?" he asked as he turned to her.  
  
"Nothing much. I couldn't sleep, so I just came here." He didn't say anything, so she glanced over at him, seeing he'd been staring at her. She furrowed her brow. "What?"  
  
He quickly turned away from her. "Oh, nothing! I was just, uh..."  
  
"I see..." she said rolling her eyes and facing out in front of her. "Well whatever it is, you'd better cut it out. It's annoying."  
  
Shiloh sighed rather loudly. "I thought you'd be happy to see me," he said snappily. "After what I did and everything."  
  
Akira gave him a sidelong glance unbeknownst to him. "Okay, so I owe you one. Big deal."  
  
"Big deal?" Shiloh turned back to face her. "I stopped our dads from mutilating each other! I'd say that was a pretty big deal!"  
  
Akira put her hands over her ears. "All right, all right already. You don't have to yell like that, geez..."  
  
"Well you don't have to have such an attitude," he retorted.  
  
"Look, Shiloh if you came here just to act like an idiot and everything, I want you to -- " Before she could even finish her sentence, Shiloh had placed his lips to hers. She was incredibly shocked, but closed her eyes and accepted it until he broke away from her slowly. "Shiloh..."  
  
He cleared his throat and didn't look her in the eyes. "Sorry..." he muttered. "I just... couldn't help it." He finally met eyes with her, seeing she was smiling warmly at him. He still didn't smile back, though he wanted to. He was too embarassed.  
  
"Don't be sorry," she told him. "It wasn't a mistake." She reached out and cupped her hands around his face. She brought her lips to his and kissed him again. This one lasted much longer than the last, and had more emotion involved as well. When it ended, their eyes were locked on each other's and smiles crept to their lips. "You're a better kisser than I expected you to be," she said coyly.  
  
He chuckled lowly. "You're not so bad yourself. But... there's something I wanted to ask you."  
  
She tilted her head to the side quizzically. "What?"  
  
"I wanted to ask you if... Well you know that Garden Fesitval that Chloe's mom's planning?"  
  
Akira raised an eyebrow. "Yeah...?"  
  
"Would you maybe wanna go with me? If you don't want to, it's okay, but I just... You're the only person I really hoped on going with."  
  
She looked surprised. "Seriously? You mean that?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah. I do mean that." He was getting anxious by the fact that she still hadn't told him her answer, but he tried his hardest not to show it.  
  
"Okay. I'd love to go with you." He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. She put her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. She sighed - content with the situation. She wished they could just stay there holding each other forever. She wished she'd never have to let go of him. Thinking things like that surprised her. She'd hated him only a short while ago. But none of that mattered anymore. It was in the past, and if she'd learned anything from her experiences thus far, it was that the past was the past, and it didn't matter what happened in it.  
  
"Dad why do you have to make such a big deal out of this? It's only the Garden Fesitval, it's not like I'm getting married or something," Akira said as Seifer instructed her to stand still in order for him to take her picture.  
  
"'Kira can you at least make the notion that you're happy?" he asked as he looked through the camera. "And it is a big deal. Even though I can't say that I'm jumping for joy about who you're going with..."  
  
"Dad!" She sighed and smiled as realistically as she could. She was indeed happy, excited even, but her father was shutter-happy, and it got on her nerves most of the time, especially because he had to take fifty- million pictures before he was finally satisfied. He snapped the picture and set the camera down.  
  
Akira was wearing a knee-length black dress with strappy heeled black shoes. Jewelry, borrowed from Quistis and Chloe for the most part, adorned her neck and wrists. Her long blonde hair was down and spiraled. She'd fought like a wild animal until she was finally convinced that if she did her hair in that manner, she'd look gorgeous. Makeup covered her scar, so it was unnoticeable, and her eyes were made up beautifully. Seifer had to remember to thank Quistis for taking the responsibility of helping his daughter get ready. He sure wouldn't have been able to do it. That's what bothered him the most about Akira growing up not haing a mother. Things like this required a motherly touch, and Quistis did the job beautifully. He hoped to see her there later.  
  
"All right, I'm finished."  
  
"Thank Hyne," she muttered as she made her way to the door, Seifer following her.  
  
Chloe and Shiloh were there, as well as Zell, Rinoa, Squall and Quistis. Everyone was dressed up in a similar manner as Akira was, which made her feel better. She'd been afraid she was the only one there who would be all "dolled-up."  
  
Shiloh was wearing a white dress shirt and khaki pants. He looked so wonderful that she almost couldn't stand it. She smiled over at him, not saying or doing much else due to the older members of the group being there as well.  
  
"Where's Selphie and the cowboy?" Seifer asked, being the first one to break the silence. He was brave by referring to Irvine as "the cowboy." He was proving that even after all those years, some things never change.  
  
Rinoa surprisingly spoke to the blonde man standing in front of her. "They're both inside. Selphie wanted to see how everything turned out. She didn't see the final result," she said with a giggle.  
  
Seifer smiled. "I figured that much."  
  
Chloe let out a laugh next. "Yeah, Mom's been babbling about this for weeks now. I'm surprised Dad lived through it. All she ever talked about was the Garden Fesitval, and Dad's a real romancer, so he didn't like that too much," she said with a wink. Everyone laughed a little, surprised by Chloe's straightforwardness.  
  
"Would your mother appreciate you talking like that?" Quistis asked with a smile.  
  
"Ah, who cares? Let's go hit the par-tay!!" Chloe raced inside the doors to where music was playing and people were dancing.  
  
"Do you think she knows how much like Selphie she really is?" Squall asked, seeming to be aiming the question to only Quistis and Rinoa.  
  
"Most likely not," Rinoa replied as she took her husband's hand and led him inside as well. That left Zell, Seifer, Quistis, Shiloh and Akira alone. "Hey Seifer?" Zell asked.  
  
"What is it Chickenwuss?" Seifer said with a smile. Zell couldn't still be bothered by that right? He had to have matured somewhat over the years. True to belief, Zell smiled as well and gave a joking roll of his eyes.  
  
"I, uh... I just wanted to say..." Zell extended his hand to Seifer. "Welcome back, man."  
  
Seifer stood there a moment, not saying or doing anything at first. He was too shocked. "I'm not staying here forever Zell," Seifer corrected him.  
  
"Yeah, I know. But you're here aren't ya? So... welcome back!" A grin appeared on his face and Seifer finally accepted Zell's handshake. Then, Zell turned to Akira. "Wow..." he said breathlessly. "She looks just like you Seifer."  
  
Akira felt a little more comfortable being herself with Zell, so she smiled up at him. "I'll take that as a compliment... for your sake."  
  
Zell chuckled. "Well as long as you don't start calling me Chickenwuss, you're a friend of mine."  
  
"Okay, I'll remember that," Akira said with a nod.  
  
Akira sat next close to Shiloh, hanging onto his arm loosely. They hadn't danced yet, and she was having a hard time imagining why. Maybe he was just shy. Or maybe he didn't even know how. Another thing she was wondering was where her father was. She hadn't seen him at all since after she'd been outside the room talking with him and the others. Another song began, and Shiloh still remained quiet about dancing. Her eyes watched as couples of people re-entered the middle of the room and began slowdancing together. She only recognized very few people that she'd seen around Garden. The people she really recognized were Selphie and Irvine who were dancing together, and Chloe. Chloe was dancing with a guy she recognized from one of her classes. Merrick she believed his name was. Chloe gave her and Shiloh a big grin behind Merrick's back, and the both of them gave a small wave back.  
  
All of a sudden, two more people she knew entered the dance floor, and she was pleased to find out who it was. Seifer and Quistis.  
  
_I've been down, I've been beat, I've been so tired that I could not speak, I've been so lost that I could not see, I wanted things that were outta reach, then I found you and you helped me through, and you showed me what to do, and that's why I'm coming back to you_  
  
Quistis looked deep into Seifer's emerald eyes as she listened to the beautiful music that flowed through her ears. She smiled up at him and felt her cheeks get hot. Even after all that time, she still felt like a little girl under his gaze. He hadn't changed one bit. He looked exactly the same as when she'd last seen him. She hadn't changed much either, aside from the fact that she'd cut her hair so that it was only two inches past her shoulders. She couldn't keep her hair the length it used to be, it was a lot of work.  
  
"I've missed you," he murmured as he was still entranced by her gorgeous blue eyes and beautiful features.  
  
She blushed even more. "I've missed you too Seifer."  
  
"And I wanted to thank you for looking out for Akira and being sort of a... mother to her. I really appreciate that, and I'm sure she does too."  
  
Once again, Quistis was taken aback by Seifer's maturity. "It was nothing."  
  
_Like a star that guides a ship across the ocean, that's how your love can take me home and back to you, and if I wish upon that star that someday I'll be with you, then I know that day is coming soon, yeah I'm coming back to you_  
  
"No Quis, it was certainly... something. I was always so worried that life would only be more difficult for her without a woman to take care of her. It's really not that easy for a father to talk to his daughter about... things that would be better for a woman to tell her about." He suddenly became embarassed and stopped, before he began sketching a diagram for Quistis. "So, thanks."  
  
"Seifer, I'd do anything for you, or Akira."  
  
Seifer raised an eyebrow slyly. "Oh? And why is that?"  
  
_You've been alone but you did not show it, you've been in pain but I did not know it, you let me do what I needed to, you were there when I needed you, mighta let you down, mighta messed you around, but you never changed your point of view, and that's why I'm coming back to you_  
  
Quistis found it hard to look into hus eyes now. "Because um... Seifer I've known you for an incredibly long time. It's not surprising that I'd eventually have... feelings for you."  
  
Seifer honestly hadn't seen that one coming. Quistis had feelings for him? Since when? Quistis was always this beautiful, classy, sophisticated woman. How could someone like her like someone like him?  
  
"You... You do?" He found himself tripping over his tongue.  
  
Quistis nodded, finally finding the courage to look him in the face once again. "I've felt that way for a long time Seifer. I just... was never sure how you felt."  
  
_Like a star that guides a ship across the ocean, that's how your love can take me home and back to you, and if I wish upon that star that someday I'll be with you, then I know that day is coming soon, yeah I'm coming back to you_  
  
Seifer took an arm from around her waist and placed it against her cheek. "Quistis... isn't it obvious?"  
  
Tears welled up in Quistis's blue eyes from sheer happiness. The man she loved for so many years finally returned her feelings, and it was wonderful. "You... you love me?" she asked, her voice beginning to break.  
  
He smiled warmly at her. "I always have Quistis Trepe."  
  
"You're sure Akira wouldn't mind us being in a relationship? I know how hard it can be when your parents date..."  
  
"Are you kidding? She loves you! You're just like the mother she never had."  
  
"She said that?"  
  
"Well, I can just tell. I mean, she only ever has nice things to say about you. How you comfort her, how you look out for her, everything. Just trust me on this one."  
  
_Mighta let you down, mighta messed you around, but you never changed your point of view, and that's why I'm coming back to you... yeah_  
  
Quistis smiled at the words. She wouldn't be alone anymore. And she would even have a child as well. What more could she possibly ask for? Everything was perfect. Suddenly, Seifer lowered his face towards her and gave her a long kiss, which Quistis happily returned.  
  
_Like a star that guides a ship across the ocean, that's how your love can take me home and back to you, and if I wish upon that star that someday I'll be with you, then I know that day is coming soon, oh I'm coming back to you, I'm coming back to you, I'm coming back to you, I'm coming back to you, that day is coming soon, I'm coming back to you_  
  
Shiloh looked over at Akira, whose eyes were locked on the couple that were now kissing on the dance floor. "Wow..." she said breathlessly. "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."  
  
"You're okay with that?" Shiloh asked. "With your dad kissing someone in front of everyone? Especially someone who isn't exactly your mom..."  
  
She turned to him. "Well I'm a hopeless romantic at heart, just... don't tell anyone that, okay?" She smiled at him.  
  
"Well then in that case..." Shiloh stood up, pulling Akira to her feet gently along with him. "May I have this dance?" He looked deep into her eyes as he spoke.  
  
She smiled gradually. "Of course."  
  
He led her out into the middle of the dance floor as another song began. He put his arms around her waist and she put hers around his neck.  
  
_I can feel the magic floating in the air, being with you gets me that way, I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I, I've never been this swept away_  
  
"I don't believe this..." Akira said shaking her head.  
  
"You don't believe what?" he asked with a small smile.  
  
"That we're here. Together. Dancing."  
  
"Tell me about it," he said with a light laugh. "But you're amazing Akira. You really are. I've known there was something great about you ever since the day we met. You have this... this wild spirit that's just so beautiful. Even though that probably sounds really stupid..."  
  
She pulled him closer to be able to smell his cologne better. "It doesn't sound stupid."  
  
_All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze, when I'm lying wrapped up in your arms, the whole world just fades away, the only thing I hear is the beating of your heart_  
  
"I just hope my dad doesn't freak out," Shiloh told her with a roll of his eyes. Akira looked over his shoulder and saw Squall standing there. His arms were crossed. but he had a smile on his face. Akira now felt better and smiled sweetly back.  
  
"Um... I don't think you have too much to worry about," she said as she smiled up at him.  
  
_And I can feel you breathe, it's washing over me, and suddenly I'm melting into you, there's nothing left to prove, baby all we need is just to be caught up in the touch, a slow and steady rush, and baby isn't that the way that love's supposed to be? I can feel you breathe_  
  
Akira listened to the words of the song rather closely. They were so beautiful, and they fit the moment perfectly. Nothing could ruin what she had. She wanted to be there dancing with him for the rest of her life.  
  
_In a way I know my heart is waking up, as all the walls come tumbling down, closer than I've ever felt before and I know you know there's no need for words right now_  
  
Seifer and Quistis stood together watching the romantic, fairytale-like scene play out in front of them. "What do you think of that?" she asked him.  
  
Seifer remained quiet for a while, but then he smiled. "My little girl's growing up." He turned to her. "That's what I think."  
  
Shiloh brought his lips to Akira's and kissed her for the remainder of the song. It was more than she'd ever imagined. It was beautiful and intimate; it was love.  
  
_And I can feel you breathe, it's washing over me, and suddenly I'm melting into you, there's nothing left to prove, baby all we need is just to be caught up in the touch, a slow and steady rush, and baby isn't that the way that love's supposed to be? I can feel you breathe_  
  
Shiloh broke away long enough to tell her he loved her, then put his lips to hers a second time.  
  
_I can feel the magic floating in the air, being with you gets me that way..._  
  
The songs I used are called "Breathe" by Faith Hill and the other is "Back To You" by Bryan Adams.


	14. A Moment Like This

Disclaimer: I don't own the FF8 characters, which you already know.  
  
A/N: I'm sorry for the wait, school's been keeping me quite busy lately... I was helped very, very much with this chapter by my friend Megs. Thank you so much girl! You're one of the best romance writers I know! And Vamp Queen, nope, I didn't lie to you. Quistis and Seifer getting together isn't the surprise I was talking about. I'll let you know when it comes up, so stay tuned!  
  
The air was still and silent as Akira sat with her back slumped against the trunk of a looming pine tree. She held her hand close to her stomach as she felt the blood trickle out of her gaping wound, down her arm and splat onto the dirt below her. She knew she shouldn't have gone off by herself. She had been told to stay with her group, move along the path set out for them, and reach their destination safely. Apparently, that wasn't going to be working out exactly as everyone had planned. While satisfying her curiousity, she ventured far from her group, consisting of three other students that she didn't recognize from Quistis's class, or any of her classes for that matter. They got off to a good start though. Everyone was kind to her and they took the field exam very seriously, just as she did. There was one boy, Blaze, and two girls, Leeda and Bethica, all with awesome fighting skills. Akira wasn't sure how she'd been placed with them, as she felt they were much better than she was, but nevertheless she was grateful that she hadn't been paired up with idiots.  
  
After fighting off quite a few unknown soldiers, who were obviously part of an underground group to release Ultimecia from her prison in the Time- Compressed world, Akira and the others treaded on through the thick rain- forest like area. The humidity was something awful, and the area was so unlevel that you had to watch your footing everywhere you went so as not to fall and break something. Every one of them was complaining about the conditions as the forest cleared into a high-grassed field. Their destination was the underground fortress where it was believed to be the headquarters for the unknown group. That's the only way anyone referred to them - the unknown soldiers part of an unknown group. After the fortress was infiltrated, the SeeDs would go in and take care of the rest. What exactly would happen after that, no one was sure.  
  
As a second section of forest began, rustling could be heard from within the full brush to the right. Akira volunteered to go and check it out, but everyone protested. "It's too dangerous" and "Whatever it is, let it be" was what they told her. She nodded in agreement, but as the rustling went on even after they'd continued, Akira couldn't help but feel paranoid, as if something or someone were following them. She stopped walking and let the other three members of her party go on, without noticing she was no longer with them. She backtracked to where she'd first heard the strange noises, and that's when something, a beast-like creature, jumped on her, pushing it's razor sharp single claw deep into her abdomen. She let out a yelp of pain and terror, but the others were too far gone to have heard.  
  
She kicked and punched the creature square in the chest, but it wasn't phased at all by her petty attempts to scare it off. Her gunblade had clattered to the ground beside her. She reached out for it, but her fingertips just barely brushed the cool metal of the blade. The claw was still wedged inside her flesh, and the pain was too overwhelming to stay conscious any longer. She found herself being sucked into a black void of emptiness and passed out.  
  
Now, after she'd woken up, she found herself leaning up against the large tree. Not knowing how she'd survived, she glanced down at her wound slowly, afraid of what she might see. Her flesh was torn apart like an animal of prey's after being mauled by a bear or wolf. Blood leaked out of it still and she was surrounded by a large puddle of the red fluid already. She winced as she made an attempt to shift her body to get comfortable, but she decided it would be less painful if she'd simply sit there the way she'd been. She groaned as waves of nausea passed over her every five minutes. If she hadn't vomited yet, she probably wouldn't, but she still couldn't be sure. She hated getting sick, ever since she was little.  
  
She looked around, turning her neck as far as she could before she thought it would snap. Her entire body was aching something fierce, and she wished she could at least stand up, but she knew she'd never be able to even roll over in her condition. She closed her eyes. There was an odd heaviness to them - a mixture of sleep-heaviness and humidity-heaviness. It hurt when she breathed, and that worried her. That meant something had been done to her lungs, whether they were just bruised or punctured, she couldn't be quite sure. All she knew was, she needed to find someone, anyone, to help her. She cried out to try and get someone's attention, but it was to no avail. There was no one around. She decided to give up and let herself fall asleep. That's all she wanted to do now... Sleep...  
  
Just as her emerald eyes closed and the dreamless reverie of sleep enveloped her, a figure came out from within the trees. It was Shiloh. He'd become seperated from his party as well, but for different reasons. They'd been amushed by the unknown soldiers and two of the four of them were captured. The other fled, screaming in fear like a banshee. Some people just aren't cut out to be SeeDs...  
  
His icy eyes widened as he saw Akira's limp figure. At first, he thought the worst; he thought she was dead, but he saw her shoulders and chest rise and fall, so he knew she was alive and breathing. She looked awfully uncomfortable slumped over like that, especially with the huge wound in her stomach, so he knelt down beside her and gently moved her from the tree, lying her on the ground on her back. She didn't wake up, so he figured she'd probably fallen unconscious again. He saw this as a blessing. He'd be able to get her somewhere safer without her feeling the pain. He lifted her motionless body into his arms and slowly carried her out of the wooded area to where a small, shallow river flowed. It was a peaceful, beautiful area, where no unknown soldiers had ventured. The water was crisp, clear and cool. He'd be able to clean her wound that way, without really worrying about infection too much. He set her back down on the soft grass and she still didn't stir. He kept getting this awful, heart-wrenching feeling that she was dead, but then he'd see she was breathing and the feeling would temporarily leave him.  
  
Shiloh knew he had to stop the bleeding, as it was flowing fast. He took his small survival pack he'd been carrying and took out quite a few gauze pads and bandages. He glanced back over at Akira, who was still fully unconscious. How awkward would it be if she awoke while he was invading her "personal space," even if he was just tending her wounds. He scooted his way over to the stream and dunked one of the bandages in, which was made more like a small blanket. Once it was soaked with the cool, refreshing water, he made his way back over to Akira's motionless body. He took a deep breath and held it as he slowly reached out and grasped the bottom of her shirt. He was hesitant in lifting it, but when he did, he made sure not to lift it... too much, only enough to be able to see her wound, and only her wound. He drew in a sharp breath as he saw how deep and open the injury actually was. It had to have been at least two inches deep and four inches across. It was a lot larger than he'd thought it to be. He pressed the bandage to the gouge and held it there, allowing it to soak up the blood that flowed from it. It didn't take long for the white bandage to become completely red, and he cast it aside after he discovered it couldn't hold anymore blood.  
  
After what seemed like forever, the bleeding finally slowed down to a small trickle. It saitisfied Shiloh enough so that he could wrap a clean bandage around her waist. The dressing should've lasted for quite a while, at least long enough so that he could work on tending his own wounds, which were minor compared to hers, but he still wanted to be in good health if he had to take care of Akira. After doing so, he gathered wood from the nearby forest area and put it all in a pile near them. Using the lighter he'd so tactfully brought along with him, he started a blaze to keep them warm, as night was beginning to fall and the air would get crisp and chilly.  
  
The minutes passed, and Akira finally began to stir. Her emerald eyes fluttered and then opened completely, still holding a fatigue in them that showed she felt awful. She groaned as she attempted to roll over from the position she'd been in, but Shiloh stopped her. "No, just lie still," he told her in a voice no louder than a murmur. "I don't want you to hemhorrage like you were before."  
  
Akira blinked in response. She'd heard what he said, but the words took a few moments to register. Her head was spinning, and her body was shivering violently, but she had no idea why. She couldn't remember much about what had happened. It eventually came to her in bits and pieces, until she remembered everything perfectly. She settled back down and Shiloh placed a hand to her forehead. She was burning up, but he couldn't understand why she was shivering so badly. He took one of her hands in his own, only to find it was as cold as ice. That puzzled him even more. He came to the conclusion that whatever was wrong with her had caused a fever that traveled at a slow pace throughout the body, starting at the head. It wasn't anything he'd ever heard of before, but it was all he could come up with at the time. "Are you cold or hot?" he decided to ask. A dumb question maybe, but he needed to know if he should move her closer to the fire.  
  
She looked up at him, an almost child-like look in her Almasy eyes. "I'm c- cold..." she muttered between her tremor-like shivers.  
  
He took her wrist and carefully helped her stand. He let her rest her entire body weight on him as he eased her closer to the fire in front of them. "That better?" he asked.  
  
She nodded. "A little..." This made Shiloh feel better about her, but when about fifteen minutes passed and her shivers hadn't slowed down one bit, he began to get worried again. He rummaged through his pack and found a big cotton blanket. He also took out the small sleeping bag he'dbrought along as well. Funny, he didn't remember putting a blanket in there... He shrugged off the thought and proceeded to wrap it around the girl's shaking shoulders. Then, he eased her down into the sleeping bag, hoping to finally stop her nearly convulsive shivering.  
  
"Is that... any better?" he asked hopefully. She didn't reply and hugged herself tight, as if she were trying to keep herself warm that way. He thought long and hard. What else could he do? If she got any closer to the fire, she'd burn herself, and there were no more blankets in their possession; he was sure of that.  
  
As if things couldn't get any worse, the first few raindrops of an icy cold shower began to fall. Oh no... he thought as his gaze fell back onto Akira. The fire was beginning to fizzle out as the rain fell harder and the drops became bigger. There was only one other way he could think of to keep her warm. He wasn't totally comfortable with it, but only because he wasn't sure what her reaction would be. Whether he liked it or not, there was only one thing left to do. He lifted his shirt up over his head. Leaving it on while it was soaking wet wouldn't help what he was about to do. He climbed into the sleeping bag and pulled the blonde as close to him as humanly possible. He wrapped his arms around her waist and his legs around hers. She didn't fight off the physical contact, as she found her shivering was ceasing after only a few minutes of lying there in his strong arms. Soon, her body remained still enough to allow her to fall asleep. Shiloh did soon after he knew she was all right.  
  
The next morning was a drizzly one. The rain had stopped almost completely, but droplets were falling from the leaves and brush at a consistant rate. A few birds were singing as the sun peeked over the hills on the horizon. Akira awoke, but didn't open her eyes. There was a warm comfort surrounding her that she didn't have any urge to leave. She let out a sigh and scooted closer to Shiloh, who she had almost forgotten had been there. In fact, she'd almost forgotten everything about the previous night. Soon though, as her mind cleared itself from the hazniess of slumber, her heart began pounding as she realized Shiloh's limbs were still wrapped around her. She shook the thoughts from her head. How could she be thinking about things like that? She was sick. She knew that from the way her body ached and the way her throat was raw and sore. She needed antibiotics, and even though Shiloh had tried to nurse her back to health and keep her warm, she was still fluish and the crummy weather wasn't helping anything.  
  
Shiloh began to stir shortly after these thoughts swirled through Akira's head. His eyes traveled down to Akira, who was silently lying there beside him. "Morning..." he said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. She still said nothing as he sat up and stared down at her. His hands immediatly went to her shirt, and she pushed them away.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" she exclaimed, her face turning a light shade of crimson.  
  
He shook his head. "No, it's not like that. I want to see if your wound is healing at all." He noticed how coldly she was glaring at him, and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. You do it then." She raised an eyebrow suspiciously and lifted her shirt only enough for him to examine her injury. He reached out and removed the slightly bloodied bandage from her skin. A chill went up ehr spine, but she said nothing to him. He touched a hand to the healing wound, and she immediatly winced and pulled away. "It still hurts?" he asked as he straightened up again.  
  
"Yes, it still hurts!" she cried. She fixed her shirt and the two sat in silence for a while. Then, slowly but surely, the space between their lips closed. It was a more passionate kiss than they'd ever shared before. Soon, their arms were wrapped tightly around each other as all sorts of thoughts raced through their minds. Shiloh broke away from her first, feeling guilty about what he was doing. How could he take advantage of her like this? First of all, she wasn't feeling good, so she wouldn't be able to do much to stop him. He wanted it, but yet he knew it was wrong, At least now it was.  
  
"You should rest," he told her as he pulled his shirt back on, which was now dry from the night before. "I'm gonna go see what I can make for you to eat." Akira eased herself back down onto her back, slight twinges of pain shooting through her abdomen as she did. Why was he acting that way? Was it something she was doing wrong? She hadn't wanted him to leave at all, but apparently he felt differently.


	15. Learn To Fly

Disclaimer: You know what's mine and what isn't, I really don't think I have to say it anymore.  
  
A/N: Yeah I know, a long wait on this one, but I decided to take certain people's advice and take my time in order to make the chapters better. I hope you enjoy it! And thanks goes out once again to Megs for her awesome "scenes", lol. Thanks soo much girl! You know I appreciate it! As for the "surprise"... half of it is at the end of the chapter, but for the second half, you'll just have to wait until I update again! Ah, I love cliffhangers... don't you?  
  
  
  
They both returned, with Akira leaning heavily on Shiloh, still shivering. Shiloh didn't know what else to do but bandage up her injury. He didn't even know why she would be shivering besides a cold. But Akira wasn't getting better. She was getting worse.  
  
As the two bedraggled cadets walked -or rather, stumbled- through the front doors and headed to the infirmary, they received odd looks and stares from everyone.  
  
'Why aren't there any teachers around? It's not Sunday or anything!' Shiloh thought exasperatedly. He did his best to hold both Akira and himself up as they approached the infirmary door. It slid open with a whoosh and he saw Dr. Kadowaki sitting at her desk on the opposite side. She looked up at the noise and her eyes widened behind her thin glasses.  
  
"Oh my! What in the world happened?" she cried as she took the half awake girl from Shiloh's side. She led her to the single bed in the back part of the office and set her down.  
  
"Something attacked her during the field mission. I did what I could to bandage her wound, but she's still not getting any better. Plus, she keeps shivering and I don't know why."  
  
Dr. Kadowaki felt Akira's forehead. "No fever," she stated. She opened Akira's eyes wide with her fingers and shook her head. All under the irises was bloodshot, and they had an odd yellowish color to the whites. "Do you have any idea what it was?" she asked turning to Shiloh.  
  
He glanced up at the doctor, then rested his gaze back on Akira. "No. When I found her, she'd already been injured."  
  
Dr. Kadowaki only nodded and proceeded to examine the wound itself. She took in a sharp breath as she saw it. The bleeding had stopped, but the skin wasn't closing properly, and it had shades of purple to it. That could only mean one thing. "She's been poisioned."  
  
Shiloh's icy eyes widened. "Poisoned?" he repeated.  
  
Dr, Kadowaki went over to a cupboard in the main office and removed a small brown bottle. She shook it to make sure it wasn't empty and returned to the bedside. "This should do the trick though. I don't think it's fatal."  
  
"You don't think?" Shiloh's voice held comtempt.  
  
After helping the girl swallow two of the pills, Dr. Kadowaki took Shiloh out into the hall. She needed her rest. "Why don't you go tell Seifer, hmm? I'm sure he'd like to know what happened."  
  
Shiloh's face grew fearful. "I... I can't do that."  
  
Dr. Kadowaki raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"  
  
"Because he hates me. If I have to be the one to tell him, he'll probably try to kill me or something."  
  
A laugh escaped the doctor as she went back into the infirmary. "Mr. Leonheart, Seifer can be a bit moody, but I highly doubt that he's *that* bad." And the door shut.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Shiloh found Seifer at the cafeteria having lunch by himself. 'Great, there's no one here to help if he goes mid-evil on me...' he thought with an inward groan. He found the courage to move his legs in the direction of the blonde and stopped short in front of him.  
  
Seifer raised his eyes from his sandwich. "Yes?" It was a simple question, but Shiloh didn't like the tone it was in.  
  
"Um... I have to tell you something. About Akira..."  
  
"What about her?" Seifer asked as he stood. "Is she all right?"  
  
Shiloh bit his lip. "I think so. She's at the infirmary."  
  
Seifer lurched forward and grabbed the boy by the shoulders. "Well what happened?" His voice wasn't loud. In fact, there was fear in it instead of the anger Shiloh had been expecting.  
  
"Something attacked her on the field exam. Dr. Kadowaki said she's poisoned, but she gave her something that will probably help."  
  
"She's there now?" Shiloh nodded. Seifer thanked him for informing him and left the cafeteria for the infirmary in a hurry. Shiloh let out a breath he'd been holding and sat down in a nearby chair. Two hands were then placed on his shoulders, and he turned to see Rinoa smiling down at him.  
  
"Hi sweetheart," she said as she planted a kiss on his head.  
  
"Hey Mom."  
  
Rinoa glanced at the cafeteria doors. "Seifer certainly left in a hurry. What did you say to him?"  
  
"I told him about Akira. She got poisoned during the field exam and now she's at the infirmary with Dr. Kadowaki."  
  
Rinoa's eyes flashed. "Is she going to be all right?"  
  
"The doctor thinks so. She gave her medicine that she said will probably help, but I'm still worried about her."  
  
Rinoa smiled. "Is it... love?" she asked mysteriously.  
  
Shiloh's face twisted. "Mom! Don't do that!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. Talking about their kid's love lives is off limits for parents." She laughed.  
  
Shiloh's lips curved into a small smile. "Exactly." He thought for a moment. "Hey Mom? Did... Did Dad say anything? About us?"  
  
"Actually, he said it would take a little getting used to, but he feels it's time that this whole Seifer/Squall rivalry died down. And I think Seifer feels that way too."  
  
Shiloh nodded. "So do I. He's actually kinda... nice once you get to know him, you know? It's hard to believe he's the same person who everyone hated."  
  
"I know. Apparently he's a wonderful father. I can see it in the way he cares so much about Akira. And it seems him and Quistis are getting close, too." Rinoa had to giggle to herself. "Ever since day one I thought those two had something special. It's kind of ironic how everything is turning out."  
  
"Mom, the walk down memory lane? It *has* to stop."  
  
Rinoa placed a hand on her son's shoulder and stood. "I have to get back home. Selphie's coming over later and the entire house looks like a tornado struck it. I'll see you later, all right?"  
  
"All right Mom."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
He stepped in the moonlit room. The white glow from the silver orb in the sky lit her features like an angel. Her blonde hair looked like spun gold in the soft lighting. Then, he turned his attention to Seifer, who was seated in the visitor's chair beside the bed. He looked at Shiloh carefully, nor realizing until now just how much he resembled his father. He shook t he thoughts from his head as the boy began to speak.  
  
"I she... all right?"  
  
Seifer waited a few moments to reply. "Yes. Dr. Kadowaki said the medicine worked and she's just going to have flu-like symptoms until it leaves her." Shiloh nodded as Seifer stood. "There's something I wanted to tell you, too."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I wanted to... thank you. For looking out for her. If you hadn't been there, she wouldn't have even gotten back here in one piece."  
  
"Don't mention it," were the only words Shiloh could think of to say.  
  
He placed a hand on his shoulder as he went around him to leave the infirmary. "You're a good kid Shiloh," he said in a low tone. Shiloh listened as the door opened and shut, leaving him alone with Akira, although she wan't awake. He walked over to her and sat in the visitor's chair beside her. The feeling was overwhelming. He had to touch her face, hair, anything.  
  
He brought a hesitant hand forward and brushed it against her porcelain cheek. Her skin was so soft and warm. She started to stir, and he withdrew his hand quickly, not wanting to wake her. He'd talk to her when she was feeling better; she needed her rest now. He paused, got up from the chair and headed to the door.  
  
Akira's emerald eyes opened slowly at the sound of footsteps and she watched as Shiloh walked away from her and exited quietly. When he was gone, a warm smile crept to her lips and she hugged herself gently at the thought of Shiloh coming to visit her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Ooh! I can't stand this waiting any longer!" Chloe exclaimed as she pounded her fists against the wall. "How long does it take to tell someone if they're a SeeD or not? I mean, all they do is look at your scores and stuff, right?"  
  
Shiloh chuckled at his friend's rambling. "Chloe, take it easy. They'll get to us eventually."  
  
Akira raised an eyebrow. "But it really isn't fair to keep us waiting like this. We don't have all day."  
  
Shiloh shook his head. "Girls..."  
  
A guard appeared in the archway of the hall and glanced at the sheet he was carrying. "Leonheart... Almasy... Kinneas... Graff. That is all."  
  
Akira, Shiloh and Chloe glanced at each other and followed the guard down the hall to the elevator. A boy, Merrick Graff, with bright red hair and dark brown eyes walked with them as well. "Looks like we made it," he said with a smirk.  
  
"How can you be so sure Merrick? Maybe we're the only ones who *didn't* make it!" Chloe cried with a shudder.  
  
"Yeah right. We're going to see the headmaster. What does that tell you?"  
  
They all stepped into the elevator and rode it to the next highest floor. They were greeted by a cheerful Headmaster Cid and saluted him. "At ease. Well, here we are, a new generation of SeeDs is born." Smiles swept across each of the teens faces. "But... this is not playtime anymore. This is now serious and you should treat it that way. You will be going on real missions, ones in which you could be captured, injured... or even killed. Let's hope that none of those extremes occur.  
  
"But I'm not going to stand here and make you all fearful of this." He stopped to chuckle a moment before continuing. "This is also a very rewarding experience. You will grow as fighters, but also as human beings. You'll get to see the world and meet new people, as well as save a few lives here or there.  
  
"Do not be afraid. Just be strong in any way that you can and do your best. That's all that this Garden can ask of you.  
  
A second guard approached Headmaster Cid, carrying bundles of clothing in his arms. SeeD uniforms.  
  
"Ah, yes. The unifroms." Cid made his way to each of the cadets and handed them out. He stopped when he reached Akira, looking her square in the face. "I know you were seriously hurt during the field exam, and you did not become a SeeD because I felt sorry for you. You have great leadership qualities that I feel will be very useful. Don't take this to heart, but please... don't become your father on me Miss Almasy. I have high hopes and expectations for you, and you have the discipline that he lacked."  
  
Akira nodded. "I understand, sir. I won't disappoint you." She smiled, and Headmaster Cid did the same.  
  
After handing out uniforms, he stepped back and surveyed the four individuals in front of him. He gave a nod. "All right then, I'll see you all at the ball tonight."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Akira pulled at the chain necklace around her neck. Something was wrong. Maybe not wrong, but it definitely wasn't right. It felt as though someone were watching her, and she couldn't figure out who.  
  
A group of girls suddenly began walking towards her, and she recognized one of them as Vessa. She held her breath as they stopped short in front of her. Vessa stared at her for a few moments until she finally smiled. "Congratulations Akira. I'm sure you'll make a great SeeD."  
  
Akira blinked in surprise. "Oh, um... thanks."  
  
A brunette standing beside Vessa giggled. "Yeah, especially with the way you punch!"  
  
Vessa threw the girl a glare, then turned back to Akira, a smile reappearing on her face. "Well anyway, congratulations." And she walked away.  
  
"Well that was all too weird," she muttered. She glanced across the room and saw a woman who had been staring at her. The strange thing was, she didn't look away when Akira met her gaze. In fact, the smile that had been on her face grew even wider. She had light brown, wavy hair and striking blue eyes that she could distinguish even from across the large room. Then suddenly, she motioned for her to approach her. At first, Akira wasn't sure who she meant, but when she pointed to herself, the woman nodded. Slowly, Akira made her way over to her, still having no idea who she was.  
  
The woman still didn't say anything, which confused the girl even more. "Um, do I... know you?"  
  
  
  
Who is the woman? And what is she doing there? Maybe it's obvious, maybe it isn't. Whatever the case, you'll find out in the next chapter, which is also going to be the last. I already know how I'm going to end it, and from the way things look, there's a high possibility of a sequel. So stay tuned and don't forget to review!! 


	16. Through The Rain

Disclaimer: -sigh- For the last time, I do *not* own the characters of FFVIII.  
  
Author's Notes: Well, here it is, the last chapter. Isn't it sad? -sniffle- But... all good things must come to an end. Hopefully this chapter will be just as good as the others, and I hope you enjoy the way it ends. Don't forget to review!!  
  
  
  
The question seemed to hang in the air for quite some time before any words came out of the strangely familiar woman's rosy lips. "I'm very sorry. This must be very awkward for you..." Her voice struck Akira like a slap across the face. She recognized it from the phone call she'd recieved on her birthday.  
  
"M-Mom?" Akira stuttered. She couldn't find anymore words to say.  
  
Terra smiled warmly and reached out to push the hair behind Akira's ear, but she jerked away quickly. Terra's eyes flashed confusion. "What's the matter?"  
  
"What are you doing here?" she hissed. Her emerald eyes were narrowed in a threatening manner.  
  
"I'm here to talk to you... and your father. Where is he?" Terra looked around the room, searching for Seifer, but Akira's voice cut into her concentration and her gaze fell back to the blonde standing in front of her.  
  
"What do you wanna talk about?" She crossed her arms and pursed her lips, awaiting a response.  
  
Terra sighed. "You're just like your father..." she muttered under her breath.  
  
Akira scoffed loudly. "How would *you* know? You haven't been here." Akira's raised voice caused people to stare, Squall being one of those people.  
  
"Akira, please..."  
  
Squall stepped towards them and placed a hand gently on Akira's shoulder. "What's going on here Akira?"  
  
"It's nothing." She looked over at him and saw he wasn't convinced. Something about this woman was odd, and he didn't like it. "Really," she insisted.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Akira turned back to face the pleading woman again. "Please sweetie? I just want to talk to you and your dad. It won't take long, I promise."  
  
"Come on. He's over here." Akira walked in front of Terra as she led her to the back of the room, where Seifer and Quistis were standing, each holding a glass of wine in their hand. Seifer turned as he saw his daughter approaching and smiled, but as he caught sight of Terra walking behind her, his face grew set and cold.  
  
"Who is that?" Quistis asked quietly, noticing Seifer's change in mood.  
  
Before Seifer could reply, Terra and Akira were already standing before him. "What are you doing? You have no business here and you know that."  
  
"Seifer... I disagree with our daughter being a soldier."  
  
Quistis's blue eyes widened a bit. "This is Akira's mother?" Seifer nodded.  
  
"Yes, I *am* her mother," Terra replied sharply. "And I think it's totally ridiculous for a beautiful young lady like Akira to be some mercenary who kills, no, *murders* for a living!"  
  
Seifer shook his head. "I can't believe this... You don't come around for eighteen years and when you finally *do* decide to show up, you try and tell me how to raise her when she's already grown up. You're a little late Terra. And this is something she wanted to do. I'm not going to deprive her of something that she really wants."  
  
"Well how would you feel if she went off and was killed? Wouldn't you regret letting her "do what she wanted to do"?"  
  
Seifer couldn't find the words to reply, but Akira did. "Well then that's my problem. *I* decided to become a SeeD knowing what my fate would be and what the possibilites were. If anything were to happen to me, it wouldn't be his fault. It wouldn't be anyone's fault. But I could also get the chance to defend Balamb Garden when it needs me to. I think that would be the greatest accomplishment ever. Don't you?"  
  
"Of course it is. I never said it wasn't. It's just... when I found out you became a SeeD, I thought about something happening to you without me having been there your whole life. It got me thinking. So that's why I needed to come talk to you." She turned to Seifer. "And you."  
  
Seifer nodded. "I understand."  
  
"Well then, why don't you come and visit me? I'm sure it isn't too late for us to get to know each other and stuff," Akira said. "Right Dad?"  
  
"Um... yeah. I guess that would be all right." Seifer sounded hesitant, but if Akira wanted to begin a relationship with her mother, he wouldn't try to stop her.  
  
Terra's eyes became slightly glassy and she quickly blinked the unshed tears away, a warm smile appreaing on her face. "I'd... like to talk to you in private after the party." She turned to Seifer. "Would that be all right?"  
  
He glanced down at Akira and she gave a nod. "It's fine."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Akira and Terra sat in the quiet dorm room, with only the sound of crickets outside accompanying the sound of their hushed voices as they spoke.  
  
"Akira... I want to apologize for being a terribe mother. I know saying I'm sorry isn't going to change anything, but... I just want you to know that I didn't just leave you with your father because I didn't love you. Doing so was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. But I already had children, and... I just felt that he'd be a better parent to you than I ever could have."  
  
"Other children? So I have step-siblings?" Akira asked.  
  
Terra was almost afraid to respond. "...Yes. You have an older brother Raiden and an older sister Meghan. Raiden lives with his father in Esthar, and Meghan lives with hers in Trabia."  
  
"You mean... they don't have the same father either?"  
  
Terra shook her head in shame. "No... I was so young and careless. But that was no excuse. I still should have known right from wrong, no matter how "young" or "careless" I was. Akira, please don't be like I was. Use your head and don't do things just for the sake of being liked. You don't need anyone in this world. All you need is you. Just... promise me you'll remember that, all right?"  
  
"You came here to tell me that?" Akira asked with a raised eyebrow. "You make it sound like I'm never going to see you again. I told you, we can do mother-daughter stuff together whenever you want. Just because Dad's gonna be dating Quistis doesn't make a difference."  
  
More tears welled up in Terra's eyes, but this time, she let them fall down her cheeks and she began sobbing uncontrollably. "What's... What's the matter?"  
  
Terra looked straight into her daughter's eyes, her vision of her blurred beyond recgonition. "I'm not going to be around much longer Akira," she replied.  
  
Akira's features twisted in confusion. "What do you mean? You don't have to go anywhere. You can stay in Balamb; it's not even a mile away."  
  
"No, I don't mean that. I mean... I'm dying."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I have cancer. In fact, I've had it for a long time, and the doctor's say I only have around a week left. That's really why I wanted to come here so suddenly and say all of this. I won't get the chance to later." Tears were now streaming down both women's faces. Akira hated to cry. She tried her hardest not to ever do such a weakening thing, but now, she couldn't seem to help it. She wasn't sobbing, but tears were simply rolling down her cheeks as she heard the words being projected toward her.  
  
"I... I don't know what to say," Akira replied. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, that probably wasn't the right thing to even say..."  
  
Terra placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled a little. "No, it's fine. I know it must be hard to hear, and even harder because you don't know me that well, even if I *am* your mother. But don't worry. You really don't have to say anything."  
  
"Yes I do. You're my Mom. And whether or not I know you well, I don't want you to... die." Akira found it hard to talk about it. But why? It wasn't like Terra had been there for her at all, but still... She was her family. She gave her life, and now her's was being taken from her for no good reason.  
  
"I know. And I'm sorry for springing this on you like this. I shouldn't have even come..."  
  
Akira grasped her hand almost desperately. "No, don't say that. I'm glad you did. If not, I wouldn't have been able to know that my Mom wasn't really as bad as I thought she was. At least I'll be able to know you a little better before..." She sighed, not being able to continue. "Does Dad know?"  
  
"No, not yet. I have to tell him right away... But I'm so afraid to. I really don't know him that well either, to tell you the truth."  
  
"He'll understand. He may seem arrogant sometimes, but he really isn't. He's a great guy," she said. "And a great dad."  
  
Terra smiled and gave Akira a pat on the shoulder. Then, she glanced at the clock. "Two-thirty already? I have to go talk to Seifer, or else I'll never get the courage to again. Wish me luck."  
  
Akira smiled. "You don't need it. But good luck."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Seifer gave Akira's hand a gentle squeeze. She turned her head to look up at him. "You all right?" he murmured.  
  
She nodded and turned back to face the front of the room. "Yeah, I'm okay." She was trying to drown out the words of the minister, who was saying what a wonderful person Terra had been during her short life on earth. It's not that any of it wasn't true, she supposed, but what bothered her was there were so many other people in that church, sobbing and sniffling, but Akira was doing neither. Her eyes had glassed over a few times, but no tears ever fell. She felt like she didn't belong there, mourning a woman who she hardly even knew. And the awful part was... that was her own mother lying in that coffin.  
  
"Seifer and Akira Almasy." The minister was calling out names to go up and give a final goodbye before everyone went to the cemetary for the funeral. Akira gave her father a quick glance and they both stood up, making their way up towards the open casket at the front of the cathedral- like room.  
  
Akira held her breath and walked up to the side of the casket, placing her hands warily on the side of it. She looked closely at Terra's motionless figure lying on a blanket of satin. She looked so beautiful, but more so, she looked peaceful. It was almost as if she was sleeping, and not dead.  
  
"I'm..." Akira began to speak in a whisper, but her voice cracked as she got out the very first word. She felt Seifer place a hand on her shoulder, giving her the slightest bit of courage to go on. "I'm really sorry I didn't get the chance to know you better... Mom. I love you."  
  
This isn't supposed to be happening, she thought. I'm not supposed to cry like this. I'm not supposed to feel this way. But they why am I? Thoughts screamed through her head even as she and Seifer left the room and went outside to wait for everyone else to emerge.  
  
"That was very beautiful," Seifer told her as they leaned against the stone church wall.  
  
"Really?" she asked, sounding surprised.  
  
Seifer reached out and wiped the wetness from her face, taking her in his arms and holding her in a tight embrace. "Of course. You were so brave Akira. I'm very proud of you."  
  
She held onto him tight and buried her face in his chest. "Don't say that. I got up there and said all those wonderful things without even knowing if I meant it or not. I didn't even know her and she was my mother. How can you be so proud of me? Anybody could say things like that and not sob when they didn't know the person."  
  
Seifer held her out at arm's length, emerald eyes wide. "Akira Almasy... This has nothing to do with that. I'm not proud of you because you hardly cried. Crying doesn't make someone weak. I'm proud of you because you said what you felt, and I know you meant it. I know it didn't help that you only knew her for a very short period of time, but you did what you wanted to do despite that. *That's* why I'm proud of you."  
  
Akira's lips curled upward into a small smile. "Thanks Dad. I appreciate that."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A soft knock came on Seifer's door, and when he beckoned them inside, Quistis was there. "Is it okay if I talk to you for a little while? I know you might want to be alone, so..."  
  
"No, no, it's fine. What did you want to talk about?"  
  
Quistis looked uncomfortable. "Well, I sort of wanted to know... how everything went today. Akira didn't quite seem herself when the two of you came back, and neither do you. Are you okay?"  
  
"I'll live. Akira was just upset about being there when she didn't know Terra that long. She felt like she wasn't supposed to be there and that she didn't belong."  
  
"Well you told her differently didn't you?" Quistis asked.  
  
"Of course I did," Seifer replied. "And I thought she was okay again. What makes you say she was acting different?"  
  
"Well, I don't know. She seemed really withdrawn, that's all. But of course, that's to be expected. Her mother just passed away, and whether she knew her well or not, it's still very hard to deal with."  
  
"She just needs some time. She knows that she can always talk to me whenever she wants to, so I'm not going to push her. She can come to me. I think it's better that way."  
  
Quistis nodded her agreement. "You know a mission for SeeD has just been assigned, right?"  
  
"That seemed a little random," Seifer said with a chuckle. "But yeah... I know about it."  
  
"Are you going to be okay?" Quistis asked placing a hand on his arm.  
  
Seifer sighed. "I don't know... I'm going to worry like hell until she gets back, that's for damn sure. But... she's a SeeD now. I can't stop her from doing anything anymore, really."  
  
"They grow up so fast don't they?"  
  
"Got that right. And now with everything that's happened... I just hope she's gonna be okay. I don't want her getting killed because she's too busy thinking about the trauma of her personal life."  
  
"There's nothing to worry about. Your daughter is an excellent soldier, and she has a good head on her shoulders. She'll be just fine. And they usually don't make the first SeeD missions very difficult anyway."  
  
"Quistis, might I remind you of the first SeeD mission for our generation?"  
  
"All right, so they can get tough the first time around, but everything turned out fine. Even you, and you weren't even a SeeD."  
  
"Ah, you're right. Listen to me, worrying over something I probably don't even have to worry about. Just call me Squall."  
  
Quistis laughed quietly at the words, and caught sight of the clock at the same time. "My, after midnight already? I should let you get to bed. You've had a busy day."  
  
"All right then. Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight Seifer." Quistis made her way to the door, but stopped right before she left. She turned back around and placed a soft kiss on Seifer's lips. Then she left.  
  
  
  
Well, there you have it. I decided to end it on a little Queifer-ish note there. Does it look like there's a sequel on the way? Could be... If you have suggestions lemme know. If not, I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something ^_~ And also, on a much more serious note, I'd like to dedicate this chapter specifically to my grandfather who passed away just this last summer from lung cancer. May he find peace in heaven and never feel pain again. I love you Pap. 


End file.
